ABSTRACT
To capture the interest of students and their instructors, People and Their Opin-ions has incorporated three distinct approaches to learning about public opinion in politics. First, it develops the critical thinking approach to creating the skills needed to understand and interpret public opinion, especially as represented in polls. While anyone can read the results of opinion polls in newspapers, on television, and on websites, the question is how to interpret the numbers. The tools of critical thinking this textbook presents help in conceptualizing polling data, finding trends in attitudes, and explaining similarities and differences in opinions. The discussion points, exercises, and pedagogical devices throughout the textbook help in applying tools of critical thinking to public opinion research.
