1. Polling, Demographics, and Greying Oh My…
The Make-up of America

2. Problems with Polling
What were some of the consistent problems you found with your polling?
Take about five minutes and find a poll close to your topic online, how did your results match with the scientific polls you found?
What are the differences you see?
Why do you think this is the case?
What bias could have played into this?
What is a way for professional statisticians to combat these issues?

3. Nate Silver on Polling

4. Terms to Know Public Opinion Demography Census
Distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues
Demography
Science of population change
Census
Required every 10 years by the Constitution
Necessary for understanding population change
Reapportionment – reallocating seats in the House after each census

5. Hidden Socialization Race Gender Geographic
Gender Gap – regular pattern in which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates
Tend to be less conservative than men
More likely to support spending on social services and oppose higher levels of military spending
Geographic

7. The Immigrant Society
United States prides itself on being a nation of immigrants
Three waves of
immigration
NW Europeans
(prior to the late
19th century)
S and E Europeans
(late 19th and early
20th centuries)
Hispanics and
Asians (early to mid
20th century)

9. The American Melting Pot
Melting pot – mixing of cultures, ideas, and people that have changed the American nation
Minority Majority – emergence of a non-Caucasian majority
Political culture is an overall set of values widely shared within a society

11. The American Melting Pot?
African Americans face a legacy of racism
Hispanics are largest minority group faced w/ problem of illegal immigration
Simpson-Massoli Act (1986) – requires employers document citizenship of employees
Asian immigration has been driven by a new class of professional works
Native Americans – indigenous and disadvantaged

12. The American People The Regional Shift
Population shift from east to west; north to south
Reapportionment – the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every ten years based on the census

15. The American People The Graying of America
Fastest growing age group is over 65
Potential drain on Social Security
Pay as you go system – pay in while working and draw out as needed once you retire
In 1942 – 42 workers per retiree
In 2040 – 2 workers per retiree