Political Socialization Unit 6

Political Socialization  What is it?  Process of developing political values and beliefs  Where does the process begin?  Family  What is a demographic?  The characteristics of human population segments

Demographic Factors  Race and Ethnicity  Gender  Age  Religious Beliefs  Region  What are some other demographic factors??

Other Demographic Factors  List them……..

Other Demographic Factors  List them……….  Family  School and Peers  Mass Media  Wealth  Education

 New England – Liberal  South – Conservative  Midwest – Moderately Liberal  Plains/Mts – Conservative  West - Liberal

Demographic Map  ml ml

Voter Turnout and Participation

QUIZ  Which of the following are more likely to vote?  1. White or African American?  2. Educated or Non-educated?  3. Midwest or South?  4. Wealthy or Poor?  5. Younger or Middle Age?  6. Name two reasons why voter turnout is so low.  7. Name one way we could increase voter turnout.

Voter Turnout  2008: 62% Voting eligible population (VEP)  2004: 60% VEP

Patterns in Voter Turnout  Conventional v. Unconventional political participation  Conventional  Voting, letters to govt. officials, political contributions  Unconventional  Protests, boycotts, picketing  Turnout  40% vote regularly  25% occasionally  35% rarely  Higher Education, more voters  Why?

 Income  Higher the income, more votes  Education level, system “works for them”  Age  have highest voter turnout  18-24, less than half are registered  Why?  Gender  About the same  Race and Ethnicity  Whites vote more than minorities

Reasons for Not Voting  Too busy  Hassle to Register  Too many elections  2 elections EVERY year  Apathy  No connection to candidates  Difficulty of Absentee voting

Improving Voter Turnout  Election Day: National holiday  Elections on Weekends  Voting WEEK  Motor Voter Act  Same day registration  Automatically registered when you turn 18  Strengthening Parties  Online Voting  Tax credit for voting