Chapters 6 – Participation I. Public Opinion – aggregate of attitudes and opinions of individuals on a significant issue. A. Survey research. Is public opinion a reliable guide for lawmaking? Problems: 1.Public knowledge of politics (next slide) 2.“________ Effect” – people will lie in accordance with socially acceptable answers. 3. Inconsistencies – e.g. lower taxes and more spending 4. Instability – different responses at different times 5. Salience – people concentrate on a _____________ of issues considered important in their own lives.

II. Political Socialization – process by which individuals obtain their beliefs about political values, beliefs and opinions. A. Sources of socialization: Family – children usually take on their parents party identification. *If parents are different, which one? School – –Civic norms: salute the flag, civics, “good citizenship” values –How to think – schools may teach students that truth evaluations based on faith or revelation, for instance, are unnecessary or inappropriate to knowing or understanding the world correctly (science gives us Truth; religion or faith is about values/opinions). Result? Students are socialized into a way of thinking that relativizes and relegates faith to the private/personal ________; secular authorities permitted in public forums. Church – Traditionalism versus nonTraditionalism Generational effects – historical events may shape political opinion. (great depression).

Media influence – tells us what to think about III. Ideology and Opinion Can we predict political opinion based upon self-described ideologies? For the most part, YES. IV. Demographics and Opinion A. Gender Women appear to be more __________ on issues involving use of force (i.e. war, death penalty, gun control). Women do not have significantly different opinions on non-force issues like abortion and domestic gender roles. Gender Gap: Women = more likely to be Democratic (as of 80s). (Next Slide) B. Religion: Protestants and Catholics more likely to identify as moderates or conservatives than liberals; Jews more likely to identify as ___________. But Protestant Evangelicals are the most supportive voting block for Republicans.

IV. Individual Participation in Politics A. Securing the right to vote (suffrage) 1. Elimination of Property Qualifications ( ) 2. Fifteenth Amendment (1870) – black male suffrage 3. Continued denial of voting rights ( ) a. “____________ primary” – Democratic party primary elections in many southern counties in the early part of the twentieth century that excluded black people from voting.

b. Literacy tests – all were required to pass (which few people could) difficult tests involving complex legal documents. 4. Civil Rights Act/VRA ( ) – abolished unequal registration requirements 5. 24th amendment – abolished poll taxes (a price to get registered 6. 19th amendment – women suffrage (1920) 7. 26th amendment (1971) – eighteen year old suffrage or voting rights 8. National Voter Registration act (1993) – “Moter voter” – can register when you get your drivers license.

VI. Turnout (TO=#voting/#eligible) A. Turnout since 1960 (next slide) B. Why is it low? 1. Rational Voter (Anthony Downs) – is it really rational to vote? your vote does not matter practically. It is never decisive over an election’s outcome. the __________ of voting (registration, weather, driving, lines…) are to many much greater than the benefits (the probability that your vote will be decisive + any good feelings you get from it). Vote=Costs – Benefits + (intrinsic rewards) 2. Registration Burdens registration typically occurs during times of ______ political interest. 85% of registered voters turnout, while 50% of eligible voters vote. Registration is supposed to prevent voter fraud

C. What causes it to increase or decrease? Intense political competition Political Alienation – when people feel that they are incapable of affecting the political process they are less likely to vote (this has happened since Watergate, 70s) __________ – extremists or ideologues are more likely to vote (this is why candidates are typically more extreme sounding during primaries and more centrist sounding during general elections) Education: Most important; Income; Age (all are positively related; next slide)

D. Explaining the Recent Decrease in Turnout in the U.S. Despite the relaxation of voter registration requirements, voter turnout has still not improved significantly. Why? Trust in Government and Efficacy Beliefs are down Expansion of the electorate (18 year olds are less likely to vote) ____________ of Party Strength and Organization Voter Mobility Up E. Comparative Voting: The U.S. is near the bottom of voter turnout compared to other Western Democracies Many include only registered voters Many require voting

VII. Is Low Voter Turnout Bad? George Will (Elitism) – Nonvoters are more likely to be of lower socioeconomic class (less informed/educated). Do we want the “ignorant” voting? Many of the founding fathers sympathized with this argument (fear of BOTH “tyranny of the king AND tyranny of the majority or masses). What if nonvoting is a political statement being expressed in a democracy? 1. Expressing ________________ between candidates or general satisfaction with status quo. 2. Groups my abstain in order to send an electoral message to a party (“Stop taking us for granted”)