CH. 11 PUBLIC OPINION & POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION STUDENT NOTES

PUBLIC OPINION Public Opinion - The distribution of people’s beliefs about politics and policy issues Professional polling institutions conduct scientific polling (e.g. Gallup, Pew Research Center). Major newspapers and networks also conduct scientific polls Government created to achieve goals not “do what people want” Policy at odds with public opinion

We don’t know anything but we have an opinion on everything American public lacking knowledge about issues and government. Nearly one-third do not know the name of the vice president. Only one-fourth can name their two senators. Only one-third can name their U.S. representative. Most do not have a factual knowledge about policy. Only a small percentage can identify a single piece of legislation passed by Congress. Misperceptions about government policies are widespread. Many do not know what is in the Constitution. Education levels have increased but not political knowledge. Sarah Palin thinks she can see Russia from her house!

MEASURING OPINION Public Opinion Polling Interviews or surveys used to gauge and estimate feelings and beliefs of citizenry Polls help candidates detect preferences Exit, Straw, Tracking, Push

ACCURATE POLLING Characteristics of valid, scientific poll: Randomized sample Representative sample Question wording (unbiased, unambiguous) Large sample size/low margin of error

ACCURATE POLLING Questions can’t be leading Rely on a representative sample of the population - small proportion of people who are chosen to represent the whole 1,500 represent US, but LARGER the size, more accurate the poll Random Sampling: everyone should have an equal probability of being selected as part of the sample Random-digit dialing Sampling error: +/- 3%

Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information Role of Polls in American Democracy Help politicians figure out public preferences. Polls reflect the policy agenda—problems the people inside and outside of government believe must be addressed.

Use of Polls Even accurate and reliable polls can affect politics in a negative way: Discourages candidates from running if low in polls Polls find out what voters want and candidates adopt positions and develop images to suit the voters – not a true view of the candidate’s preferences or ideas. Influence fund-raising

WHY LISTEN TO POLLS… Winning! Dealing w/ competitive elections Politicians need to appeal to masses during elections Sense of patriotic duty Dealing w/ competitive elections Desire to get reelected One up the opponent

WHY NOT TO LISTEN TO POLLS… Voting record Effort to not appear indecisive “flip-flopper” Maintain reputation Party leadership Good favor by maintaining loyalty

POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION Complex process by which people acquire their political values Political Ideology - coherent set of beliefs about public policy Political socialization is how people acquire their ideology Americans tend to identify themselves as Conservative, Liberal, or Moderate http://www.gotoquiz.com/politics/political-spectrum-quiz.html

Freedom (LIBERTY): Freedom of: the absence of constraints on behavior - freedom to do something (liberty) Freedom from: immunity from fear and want; the fight against exploitation and oppression Order: Preserving life and protecting property Social Order refers to the established patterns of authority in society and to traditional modes of behavior Equality: Equality of opportunity: Each person has the same chance to succeed in life Equality of outcome: Government must design policies that redistribute wealth and status so that economic and social equality are actually achieved

CONSERVATIVES (American) Higher value placed on freedom than on equality when the two conflict. Restrict freedom when threatened with the loss of order limit size of government (national) decrease regulation of business Pro-life support school vouchers freedom and tradition

LIBERALS (American) Gov should promote equality, even if some freedom is lost in the process, but who oppose surrendering freedom to government-imposed order larger role for government Increase regulation of business Increase gun control Pro-choice

POLITICAL IDEOLOGY Ideological Types in the United States also include: Libertarians: People who favor freedom over both equality and order Communitarians: People who favor equality and order over freedom

POLITICAL CULTURE The widely-shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens share about their gov. Helps define the publics expectations towards the political process and its role in the process

Political Culture v. Ideology A set of general attitudes, ideas and beliefs Broadly informs and shapes a region’s politics Political culture is different from ideology because people can disagree on ideology, but still have a common political culture.

AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE Democracy Equality of opportunity Individual liberty Civic duty Rule of law Private property Capitalism Nationalism and exceptionalism

Equality Americans strongly support: political equality legal equality equality of opportunity There is much less support for equality of results social welfare less comprehensive than in other Western democracies

FAMILY #1 indicator of ideology More to do with ideology than party

RELIGION Catholics and Jews more liberal on social and economic issues than Protestants (WASP) Religious differences make for political differences Social status – discrimination or minority position w/i society Christian Coalition

EDUCATION More education (higher degree) = more liberal Liberal education, professors, exposure, intellectual freedom

GENDER Gender gap Women reliable democrats since 60’s Shifted b/c of women’s liberation Men identify more w/ Republicans Women: social Men: military and economic

AGE Older people vote more conservative than younger votes and at a higher rate

SOCIAL CLASS “Blue collar” (Laborer) typically Democrat “White collar” (Businessmen) typically Republican New Deal coalition

RACE & ETHNICITY Argument based on past policy Agree on more issues than disagree Blacks more liberal coalition than whites Hispanics – Cubans more conservative; hardcore Catholics more conservative, BUT immigration policy favors liberals

NEW DEAL COALITION Coalition of Democratic state party organizations, city machines, labor unions and blue collar workers, minorities (racial, ethnic and religious), farmers, white Southerners, people on relief, and intellectuals

REAGAN CONSERVATIVES White (WASP), socially conservative, attracted to social conservatism on issues such as abortion, Christian right, and hawkish foreign policy Reagan Democrats – voted for Carter, then hated Carter, fell in love with Reagan, then voted for Reagan and Bush Sr.

GEOGRAPHICAL REGION East and West coast – more liberal Mid-West – more conservative Urban – liberal South: 1870s-1950s – Democrat “solid south” but tday social conservatives (whites especially) North more liberal Economic and social