Unit 3 Political Beliefs and Behaviors Exam Review PowerPoint

Political Culture Definition: distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out -Americans generally believe more strongly in politically equality than economic Alexis de Tocqueville analyzed why democracy could take root in the U.S. – there is lots of land and job opportunities American Political Culture

Political Culture America has a very different system compared to other nations We stress individualism and competition, we tend to assert our rights, we tend to favor economic freedom over equality, and we are highly religious Civic duty: belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs Civic competence: belief that one can affect government policies American Political Culture

Culture War Cultural classes in America battle over values Different from political disputes because: 1. No money at stake 2. Compromises almost impossible 3. Conflict more profound Deep differences between people’s beliefs about public and private morality (standards that ought to govern individual behavior and social arrangements) Ideas of American Politics

2 Cultural Camps Orthodox: (fundamentalist Protestants) -morality is as, or more important than self-expression -morality derives from fixed rules from God Progressive: (liberal Protestants or no religious beliefs) -personal freedom is as, or more important than tradition -rules change based on circumstances of modern life and individual preferences Culture war occurs both between and within religious denominations Special historical importance: -more people consider themselves progressive today -rise of technology (and media) makes it easier to mobilize Ideas of American Politics

Political Efficacy Citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events Two parts: Internal efficacy – confidence in one’s ability to understand and influence events External efficacy – belief that the system will respond to citizens -Not shaped by particular events -declining since the 1960’s -feel govt. is becoming to big to respond to individual preferences Ideas of American Politics

Public Opinion What is public opinion? How people think or feel about certain things Poll = survey of public opinion Business first started systematically measuring public opinion, and politics followed closely People don’t spend a great deal of time thinking about politics =high levels of public ignorance Despite this, Americans are pretty good at using cues; when given basic information the average citizen can use it fairly effectively Public Opinion

Polling How does polling work? Need to ask reasonable, fairly worded questions Have to ask people about things for which they have some basis to form an opinion Random sampling necessary Have to be aware of sampling error (difference b/t results of 2 surveys) For populations over 500,000 pollsters need to make about 15,000 phone call to reach 1065 respondents, ensuring the poll has a sampling error of only +/- 3% -increasingly difficult to get (why?) Reliability harmed by low response rates Public Opinion

Political Socialization Political socialization influences opinion -children tend to share parents opinion -variances associated with race, class, gender, religion, etc. -BUT people with similarities do not necessarily think or vote the same way Mass and elite opinions differ -Elites tend to know more about politics -tend to be more consistent in their opinions Public Opinion

Forming Political Opinions (Political Socialization) In trying to pick the important slides from this PowerPoint, I conclude they are ALL important! Forming Political Opinions

Political Ideology Definition: more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue. Measured by (1) the frequency of people’s use of broad terms to describe/justify their views and (2)how consistent these preferences are over time Most Americans do not think ideologically and have little use for terms like “liberal” or “conservative” But we still have strong predispositions and share a common political culture Moderates are the largest group of Americans Political Ideology

“Rule of Thumb” (which is violated a million times every day) Liberal View Favors bigger welfare state Favors smaller military establishment Pro-choice Conservative View Favors smaller role of government Support a strong military Favors prayer in school Pro-life Political Ideology

Government should provide jobs for all, medical care, education Liberal Conservative Government should provide jobs for all, medical care, education Increased taxation of the rich Strict enforcement of civil rights (affirmative action) More tolerant of protests Legalize marijuana, gay marriage, and protect rights of the accused, stricter gun laws Government should provide people with adequate personal freedom to conduct their lives as they choose Lower taxes Traditional, family and social values are stressed No gay marriage No abortion Seen as tougher on crime Right to bear arms Generated from polls dealing with (1) economy (2) civil rights and (3) personal conduct Political Ideology

Reality Liberal and Conservative labels just don’t cut it – people mix liberal and conservative positions all the time There could actually be as many as nine categories But to make things a little easier, theorists have settled on four (Shown in Nolan Chart) Pure liberals (liberal on both economic and personal conduct issues) Pure conservatives (conservative on both economic and personal conduct issues) Libertarians Populists (aka Authoritarians) Political Ideology

Descriptions Libertarians- conservative on economic issues, liberal on social Value freedom more than order or equality Want minimal government intervention in both economic and social spheres Populists/Authoritarians- liberal on economic issues, conservative on social Value equality and order more than freedom Like liberals, think the government should help the disadvantaged Like conservatives, think the government should promote moral values Political Ideology

A Close Look at Nonvoting Alleged problem: low turnout of voters in the U.S. compared to Europe 1. Data are misleading: tend to compare turnout of voting-age population; turnout of registered voters reveals problem is not so severe 2. Real problem is low voter registration rates a. Proposed solution: get-out-the-voter drives b. But this will not help those who are not registered 3. Apathy is not the only cause of nonregistration a. Registration has costs in U.S.: there are no costs in European countries where registration is automatic b. Motor-voter law of 1993 took effect in 1995, lowered costs and increased registration throughout the country. However, many still did not vote! “…those who register when the process is costless are less likely to vote” Voter Turnout

A Close Look at Nonvoting Continued… Voting is not the only way of participating – by other measures, Americans may participate more in politics than Europeans. Examples include: Joining Civic Associations Supporting Social Movements Writing to legislatures Fighting City Hall Important question: how do different kinds of participation affect the government? Voter Turnout

The Rise of the American Electorate From State to Federal Control 1. Initially, states decided who could vote and for which offices 2. This led to wide variation in federal elections 3. Congress has since reduced state prerogatives through law and constitutional amendment 1842 law: House members elected by district 15th Amendment (1870): seemed to give suffrage to African-Americans but really 1) Opened the door to literacy tests, poll taxes, and grandfather clauses 2) Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally guaranteed right to vote to blacks –ended above controversial practices. Voter Turnout

The Rise of the American Electorate Women given right to vote by 19th Amendment (1920); participation rose immediately, but no major impact on electoral outcomes 18-year-olds given suffrage by 26th Amendment (1971); voter turnout among the newly eligible (18 to 24 year olds) was low, and has continued to fall BUT, this group participates more in other non-voting ways! National standards now govern most aspects of voter eligibility Twenty-third Amendment was ratified in 1961, giving District of Columbia residents the right to vote in presidential elections Voter Turnout

Forms of Political Participation (Besides Voting) Litigation Protest/public demonstrations Contacting media or public officials Campaign work, voter registration Campaign contributions Running for/holding political office Political discussion (Way to go, AP Government!) Membership in a political organization Political Participation

Causes of Participation Education- more=more Religion- involvement develops skills associated with political participation Gender- equal Race – Black participation is lower, BUT controlling for socioeconomic status, they actually participate at a higher rate Political Participation

Factors that Decrease Turnout Youths, minorities pushing down percentage of eligible adults who are registered and vote (Ya darn kids!) Parties less effective in mobilization Remaining registration impediments have negative effects Voting not compulsory Feelings that elections don’t matter Political Participation