Opinion, Ideology and Policy Wilson 7B
US Diversity Social Class Not well defined (US) Less important (Europe) Not a voting block Party affiliation (D/R) Ideology (liberal/conservative) Social Moral Symbolic Foreign Policy
Race and Ethnicity Differences between black and white narrowing Generational differences Youth less likely to blame discrimination Differences between leadership and the masses Latinos identify Democrat See chart on page 166 Asians identify Republican
Region Shift in southern politics Once dominated by race and liberty Sympathetic to business not labor Traditional values moved away from Democrats Democrats Far West, New England Republicans Mountain West, Southeast
Political Ideology Consistent set of beliefs about the policies government should pursue Measured by the frequency by which people use to describe their preferences Measured by the extent to which people remain consistent in their preferences Most Americans do not think ideologically More moderate today
Distinctions of Ideology Liberal Once meant personal and economic liberty Changed to support for activist government Jobs for all Desegregation Affirmative Action Tolerance Expanding rights Conservative Once wanted to restore power of church, state, aristocracy Now favor free markets, state’s rights, individual choice Law enforcement Traditional values Elitist
Ideological Consistency Mix and match with issue categories 4-9 categories Pure liberal Young, college, nonreligious Pure conservative Older, wealthy, white, midwest Libertarian Young, college, white, no religion, west Populist Older, less education, religious, female
Political Elites People who have a disproportionate amount of power “activist” More informed More active More consistent More homogeneous Frame the political issues State the norms for settling issues Issues arise from personal experience Contradiction and disagreement among elites
Free Response