Americans are very vocal about what they believe in and what they expect from the government Public opinion is a highly regarded aspect in American politics because it is what allows the government to understand what Americans want It is one of the ways in which politicians are also able to gauge how citizens feel about elected officials and certain political processes Public opinion is necessary for sustaining a healthy and strong democratic America since it gives power to the people by allowing them to voice their thoughts and opinions Public opinion can be divided into two different types preformed opinions and latent opinions Preformed opinions are broad and nonspecific opinions regarding general issues such as expectations from the government and other general principles regarding politics On the other hand latent opinions are those that are formulated on the spot These are opinions that are drawn up by people right when they are asked about the topic It implies that there was not much research or investigation involved before the opinion was created Latent opinions are much more common among Americans than preformed opinions Preformed opinions are more prevalent among those who are more engaged in politics Between these two types of public opinions there are many factors that can influence each Preformed opinions are greatly influenced by one's background and upbringing and they are also often determined by the beliefs of one's parents The community and the environment one grows up in plays a very large role in determining how he would perceive the world and thus very often influencing his preformed opinions as well One example of this is liberal or conservative views of politics
