WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THE WAY THEY DO ABOUT GOVERNANCE? The American Political Landscape

Values and Political Culture Remember?  Political Culture is “A distinctive, patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out.” Remember?  Ideology is “An internally consistent set of beliefs and values about the policies the government ought to pursue.”

Political Socialization: The process in which individuals acquire the information, beliefs, attitudes and values that help them comprehend the workings of a political system and orient themselves within it.

Socialization = “Opinion Formation” Political Socialization and Other Factors That Influence Opinion Formation Political attitudes are grounded in values. We learn our values by a process known as political socialization. Socialization = “Opinion Formation” One creates a “political ideology” through opinion formation.

So, HOW did I get these opinions? Many factors influence opinion formation. The Family The Mass Media School and Peers The Impact of Events Social/economic groups Religion, Race, Education, Income, Gender, Region

FAMILY: Generally, we imitate family views Schools Teach us about organizing society Teach us about rules and authority Teach us PATRIOTISM College tends to LIBERALIZE Mass Media Decide what is news and hence what I think about Help create Party Identification POLITICAL EFFICACY (trust in government) Internal: “I FEEL I can influence government” External: “I FEEL the government is able to handle my concerns” THESE ARE BOTH DECLINING OVER LAST SEVERAL DECADES

When did I start to care about Politics? Wait, do I care about Politics? Preschool: AUTHORITY, i.e. Rules Elementary School: First Concept of Government as an institution, “Politicians are honest and benevolent” Adolescence: Start to Identify with a Political Party, Starting to think in “Conservative/Liberal” terms Adulthood: During this period there is generally no change in political beliefs, Concern for job and personal welfare drives opinion, feelings of responsibility for continuity of U.S. politics

Does Where I Live Influence My Opinion? Of Course!

What is Public Opinion? Public opinion is 'what the people think about an issue or set of issues at any given point in time' and opinions are normally measured by opinion polls.