COPYRIGHT © 2009 PEARSON EDUCATION, INC. PUBLISHING AS LONGMAN. Chapter 6 PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL ACTION

INTRODUCTION Public Opinion The distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues Demography The science of population changes

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE The Immigrant Society United States is a nation of immigrants. Three waves of immigration: Northwestern Europeans (prior to late 19 th Century) Southern and eastern Europeans (late 19 th and early 20 th centuries) Hispanics and Asians (the most recent – 20 th century)

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE The American Melting Pot Melting Pot: the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation Minority Majority: the emergence of a non- Caucasian majority Political culture is an overall set of values widely shared within a society.

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

The American Melting Pot (continued) African Americans face a legacy of racism. Hispanics are the largest minority group faced with the problem of illegal immigration. Simpson-Mazzoli Act: requires employers document citizenship of employee Asian immigration has been driven by a new class of professional workers. Native Americans: indigenous and disadvantaged

AFRICAN AMERICANS AND HISPANICS About 24 percent of African Americans live below poverty line The number of African American elected officials has increased by over 600 percent since 1970 Hispanics outnumbered African Americans in 2000 census Members of these groups are more likely to vote than whites of the same income level

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE The Regional Shift Population shift from east to west

CENSUS The most valuable method for understanding demographic changes in US Required every 10 years by the Constitution

Demographic changes in the US population could translate to political consequences through reapportionment which occurs after every census to reallocate seats in the House of Representatives Reapportionment can dramatically shift power between the regions

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE The Graying of America Fastest growing age group is over 65 Potential drain on Social Security Pay as you go system In 1942, 42 workers per retiree In 2040, 2 workers per retiree

HOW AMERICANS LEARN ABOUT POLITICS: POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION Most Americans learn about government through an informal learning process. Political Socialization: “the process through which and individual acquires [their] particular political orientation” As people become more socialized with age, their political orientations grow stronger

THE PROCESS OF POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION Americans obtain most of their political socialization from their families and their teacher Governments aim their socialization efforts primarily at the young Average school age children spend more time watching TV than they spend at school The Family: Political leanings of children often mirror their parents’ leanings The older children get, the more TV displaces parents as the chief source of information

HOW AMERICANS LEARN ABOUT POLITICS: POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION

The Process of Political Socialization (continued) The Mass Media Chief source of information as children age Generation gap is viewing television news School Used by government to socialize young into political culture Better-educated citizens are more likely to vote and are more knowledgeable about politics and policy.

HOW AMERICAN LEARN ABOUT POLITICS: POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION Political Learning Over a Lifetime Aging increases political participation and strength of party attachment.

MEASURING PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL INFORMATION How Polls Are Conducted Sample: a small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey to be representative of the whole Random Sampling: the key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample Sampling Error: the level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll

PUBLIC OPINION POLLS Because it would be prohibitively expensive to ask every citizen his or her opinion on a whole range of issues, polls rely on what is called a sample of the population. Random sampling is the key to accuracy A sample small as about 1500 people can faithfully represent the “universe” of Americans Are only estimates because all surveys have a sampling error

MEASURING PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL INFORMATION The Role of Polls in American Democracy Polls help politicians detect public preferences. But critics say polls make politicians think more about following than leading public Even though politicians do not track opinion to make policy Question wording may affect survey results

MEASURING PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL INFORMATION The Role of Polls in American Democracy Polls may distort election process Exit Polls: used by the media to predict election day winners May discourage people from voting

MEASURING PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL INFORMATION What Polls Reveal About Americans’ Political Information Americans don’t know much about politics. Americans may know their basic beliefs but not how that affects policies of the government. The Decline of Trust in Government Since 1964, trust in government has declined. Trust in government has gone up somewhat since September 11.

MEASURING PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL INFORMATION

WHAT AMERICANS VALUE: POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES Political Ideology: A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose Who Are the Liberals and Conservatives? Predominance of conservative over liberal thinking Gender gap: women tend to be less conservative than men Ideological variation by religion too

WHAT AMERICANS VALUE: POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES Do People Think in Ideological Terms? Ideologies: think in ideological terms Group Benefits voters: view politics through party or group label Nature of the Times: view of politics based on whether times are good or bad No issue content: vote routinely for party or personality

HOW AMERICANS PARTICIPATE IN POLITICS Political Participation: all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue Conventional Participation Voting in elections Working in campaigns or running for office Contacting elected officials

HOW AMERICANS PARTICIPATE IN POLITICS Protest as Participation Protest: a form of political participation designed to achieve policy changes through dramatic and unconventional tactics Civil disobedience: a form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences

HOW AMERICANS PARTICIPATE IN POLITICS Class, Inequality, and Participation

UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL ACTION Public Attitudes Toward the Scope of Government Many people have no opinion about scope of government. Public opinion is inconsistent, which may lead to policy gridlock. Democracy, Public Opinion, and Political Action Americans select leaders, but do they do so wisely? If people know little about candidates’ issues, how can they? People vote more for performance than policy.

SUMMARY American society is ethnically diverse and changing. Knowing public opinion is important to a democracy, just as polling has costs and benefits. Americans know little about politics. Political participation is generally low.