1. Explain how public opinion can change fairly quickly, using examples such as former President George Bush’s popularity after the Gulf War and his subsequent drop in the polls that led to his reelection defeat in 1992.
2. Delineate and describe the sources of public opinion.
3. Explain the characteristics of public opinion and why public opinion is often uninformed, unconnected, and inconsistent.
4. Discuss the relationship between public policy and public opinion, as illustrated by the case studies dealing with health care and abortion. Be sure to explain why public opinion can change and why it is so difficult to know the true nature of public opinion.
5. Speculate as to the relative importance of public opinion in the American political system.
6. Explain how and why public policy follows public opinion.

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