1. Political Beliefs and Behaviors
American political ideology
Chapters 4,7,8

2. Political Culture
Political Culture: A distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out
For example, Americans generally believe more strongly in political than in economic equality

3. American Political Values
Liberty – rights
Equality – equal vote; equal chance to participate and succeed
Democracy – government is accountable to the people
Civic duty – take community affairs seriously and become involved when possible
Individual responsibility – individuals responsible for their own actions and well-being

4. Questions About Political Culture
How do we know people share these beliefs?
How do we explain behavior inconsistent with these beliefs?
Why is there so much political conflict in U.S. history?

5. Beliefs About Economics
Americans support free enterprise, but support some limits on marketplace freedom
Americans believe in equality of opportunity but not equality of result
Americans have a widely shared commitment to economic individualism

6. American Political Culture
Americans tend to assert their rights
Emphasize individualism, competition, equality, following rules, treating others fairly but impersonally
Some other countries put more emphasis on harmony and equality

7. What’s your political belief?
Survey given to year olds
One day the President was driving his car to a meeting. Because he was late, he was driving very fast. The police stopped the car. (Finish the story)
Different countries answer differently
England – Queen would be released
France – President would be excused
US – President would get a ticket like everyone else

8. Table 4.3: Attitudes Toward Economic Equality in America and Europe
Insert table 4.3

9. Types of Participation
2000 Election participation
82% watched the campaign on television
73% voted in the election
34% tried to influence others how to vote
10% put a sticker on their car
9% gave money to help a campaign
5% attended a political meeting
3% worked for a party or candidate
Is this true? 73% of people vote? – No

10. Who REALLY participates?
Different factors can tell us who votes
Education – MOST IMPORTANT, more education=more voting
Religious involvement
Race and Ethnicity – Whites higher than minorities (might be economic based)
Age – is the lowest, and 45 and up is the highest

11. Who REALLY participates?
Gender – men traditionally voted more, now it is more equal
Two-party competition – more competitive elections have higher turnout
Cross-cutting cleavages – individuals influenced by many factors, it is important when testing for this that variables are controlled

12. Political Socialization
Political socialization: the process by which personal and other background traits influence one’s views about politics and government
People in different social “groups” tend to share certain opinions: group identification
Family: Party identification of your family is absorbed, although children become more independent-thinking with time
Religion: Families form and transmit political beliefs through their religious tradition

13. Family #1 influence of political attitude
Very strong correlation for Political Party support

14. The Gender Gap
Men have become increasingly Republican since the mid-1960s
Women have continued to identify with the Democratic Party at approximately the same rate since the early 1950s
This reflects attitudinal differences between men and women about the size of government, gun control, social programs, and gay rights
More men support military
More women consider sexual harassment a serious problem

15. Table 7.3: The Gender Gap: Differences in Political Views of Men and Women

16. Religion and Politics
Religious beliefs have played an important role in American politics
Both liberals and conservatives use the pulpit to promote political change
Candidates for national office in most other contemporary democracies rarely mention religion; drastically different in the U.S.

17. Religion
Example
Protestants are more conservative on economic matters than Catholics or Jews
Jews tend to be more liberal on economic and social issues than Catholics or Protestants
Catholics tend to be more liberal on economic issues than they are on social issues (Catholics becoming more conservative)

18. Education
From 1920s through 1960s, studies showed a college education had a liberalizing effect, possibly because of exposure to liberal elites
Contemporary college students’ opinions are more complicated

19. Education Example Higher Education = more conservative
College education = liberal views
Conflicting results, not always a correlation

20. Social Class
Social class: ill-defined in U.S., though recognized in specific cases (e.g., truck drivers and investment bankers)
Social class is less important in the U.S. than in Europe; the extent of cleavage (division in society) has declined in both places

21. Social Class “Blue collar” (Laborer) typically Democrat
“White collar” (Businessmen) typically Republican
Relationship is becoming less clear

22. Race and Ethnicity
Similarities and differences between blacks and whites are complex, but there is some evidence that they may be narrowing

23. Race and Ethnicity Examples African Americans – 90% Democrats
Hispanic Americans – tend to affiliate with Democrats, but less likely than African Americans
Asian Americans – less liberal than Hispanic Americans or African Americans, but still consistently vote Democrat
White, more divided, fluctuates by election

24. Table 7.4: African American and White Opinion
Insert table 7.4 (formerly 5.4 in 9e)

25. Source: Jack Citrin, et al
Source: Jack Citrin, et al., “Testing Huntington,” Perspectives on Politics, 5 (2007), 43. Data are from 2004 National Election Survey.

26. Figure 7.1: Generational Gaps on the Issues
Insert table 5.3
Survey by Washington Post/Henry J. Kaiser Foundation/Harvard University, August 2-September 1, 2002, as reported in Elizabeth Hamel et al., "Younger Voters," Public Perspective, May/June 2003, p. 11.

27. Regional Differences
White southerners were once more conservative than other regions regarding aid to minorities, legalizing marijuana, school busing, and rights of the accused
Southerners are now significantly less Democratic than they were for most of the 20th century

28. Geographic Region Example East and West Coasts – more liberal
Mid-West – more conservative
Urban - liberal
South – s - Democrat “Solid South” but today they are primarily social conservatives
White Southerner always less liberal

29. From State to Federal Control
Initially, states decided who could vote and for which offices
This led to wide variation in federal elections
Congress has since reduced state prerogatives through law and constitutional amendments

30. Expanding Suffrage
Lifting of property restrictions (1830) – “universal manhood suffrage” gave voting rights to all white males
Suffrage for African-Americans ( )
th Amendment – Voting Rights to all
Brown v. Board – separate but equal is illegal, killed Jim Crow laws
th Amendment – banned poll tax
1965 – Voting Rights Act of 1965 – federal law prohibited (no literacy tests, fair elections etc.)

31. Expanding Suffrage
Women’s Suffrage (1920) – 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote
18-21 year-olds (1971) – 26th Amendment, sparked by Vietnam

32. Nonvoting
Alleged problem: low turnout of voters in the U.S. compared to Europe
Data is misleading: it tends to compare turnout of the voting-age population; turnout of registered voters reveals the problem is not so severe
The real problem is low voter registration rates

33. Figure 8.2: Voter Participation in Presidential Elections, 1860-2004
Insert figure 8.2 (formerly 6.2 in 9e)
For : Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part 2, 1071; : Statistical Abstract of the United State, 1992, 517; : Michael P. McDonald and Samuel L. Popkin, "The Myth of the Vanishing Voter," American Political Science Review 95 (December 2001): table 1, 966.

34. Voting Trend of low voter turnout 1964 – 69.3%
(Voting Age Population %)
1980 – 41.3%
1984 – 60.9%
1988 – 40.5%
1992 – 55.2%
1996 – 49.1%
2000 – 51.3%
2004 – 55.3%
2008 – 58%

35. Table 8.3: Two Methods of Calculating Turnout in Presidential Elections, 1948-2000
Insert Table 8.3 (formerly 6.3 in 9e)

36. Voter Turnout Registered Voter turnout Eligible Voter turnout
Voter Registration – blamed as one of the causes of low turnout
“Motor-Voter” (1993) – National Voter Registration Act – allowed people to register to vote while they get license

37. Voter Turnout
Real decline is caused by lessening popular interest and decreasing party mobilization
Some scholars argue historical voter turnout figures were skewed by fraud
Most scholars see some real decline due to several causes, including the difficulty of registration

38. Six Kinds of US Citizens
Inactives: rarely vote, contribute to political organizations, or discuss politics; have little education, low income, young, many blacks; 22 percent
Voting specialists: vote but do little else; not much education or income, older
Campaigners: vote, get involved in campaign activities, more educated, interested in politics, identify with a party, take strong positions

39. Six Kinds of US Citizens
Communalists: nonpartisan community activists with a local focus
Parochial participants: don’t vote or participate in campaigns or political organizations, but do contact politicians about specific problems
Activists: Participate in all forms of politics; highly educated, high income, middle age; 11 percent

40. Table 8.5: How Citizens Participate

41. Predictors of Participation
Those with schooling or political information are more likely to vote
Church-goers vote more, because church involvement develops the skills associated with political participation
Men and women vote at the same rate

42. Predictors of Participation
Black participation is lower than that of whites overall
Controlling for socioeconomic status, blacks participate at a higher rate than whites
Studies show no correlation between distrust of political leaders and not voting

43. Figure 8.5: Electoral/Nonelectoral Political Participation Among Anglo Whites, African Americans, and Latinos
Insert figure 8.5 (formerly 6.5 in 9e)

44. Factors That Decrease Turnout
More youths, blacks, and other minorities in population are pushing down the percentage of eligible adults who are registered and vote
Parties are less effective in mobilizing voters
Remaining impediments to registration have some discouraging effects

45. Factors That Decrease Turnout
Voting is not compulsory, as it is in some other nations
Some potential voters may feel that elections do not matter

46. Other reasons for low turnout
Difficulty of Absentee Voting
Number of Offices to Elect too high
Weekday, non-holiday voting
Weak political parties – less “get-out-the-vote campaigns

47. Mistrust of Government
There is evidence that mistrust has increased since the late 1950s
Causes: Watergate, the Vietnam War and Clinton impeachment
Public confidence is likely to ebb and flow with circumstances
No dramatic change in confidence in Americans

48. Figure 4.1: Trust in the Federal Government, 1958-2002
Insert figure 4.1
University of Michigan, The National Election Studies.

50. Participation Other Than Voting
People can give money to a candidate
They can join political organizations
Citizens also engage in a wide variety of nonpolitical activities

51. Figure 8.3: Nonpolitical Voluntary Activity Among Citizens
Insert figure 8.3 (formerly 6.3 in 9e)

52. Table 8.6: Participation Beyond Voting in Fourteen Democracies
Insert table 8.6 (formerly 6.6 in 9e)

53. What Participation Rates Mean
Americans vote less, but participate more
Americans elect more officials and have more elections
U.S. turnout rates are heavily skewed to higher status persons

54. Freedom vs. Order /Equality

55. Political Ideology
Political ideology: a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue
Coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy
Changes over time for all people
Liberal and conservative mean different things at different time periods

56. Figure 7.3: Ideological Self-Identification
Insert figure 7.3 (formerly 5.2 in 9e)

57. Liberals and Conservatives
Economic policy: liberals favor jobs for all, subsidized medical care and education, increased taxation of the rich
Civil rights: liberals favor strong federal action to desegregate schools, hiring opportunities for minorities, and strict enforcement of civil rights laws
Public and political conduct: liberals are tolerant of protest demonstrations, favor legalization of marijuana, and emphasize protecting the rights of the accused

58. Table 7.6: How Liberals and Conservatives Differ
Insert table 7.7 (formerly 5.7 in 9e)

59. Liberals and Conservative
Pure liberals: liberal on both economic and personal conduct issues
Pure conservatives: conservative on both economic and personal conduct issues
Libertarians: conservative on economic issues, liberal on personal conduct issues
Populists: liberal on economic issues, conservative on personal conduct issues

60. Table 7.7: Policy Preferences of Democratic and Republican Voters

61. Freedom vs. Order /Equality

62. How ideological are Americans?
1950 study – “The American Voter”
4 basic types of voter
Ideologues – 12% of people connect their opinions to party lines
Group Benefits Voter – 42% of people connect their opinion to their “group”. (labor union, interest group, class, race)

63. How ideological are Americans?
3. Nature of the times voter – 24% of the people linked good or bad times to the party in control and vote the opposite (usually based on economics).
4. No Issue Content – 22% of the people could give no reason

64. Political Efficacy
Political efficacy: citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events
Internal efficacy: confidence in one’s ability to understand and influence events
External efficacy: belief that system will respond to citizens

65. Figure 4.3: Changes in the Sense of Political Efficacy, 1952-2000
Insert figure 4.3
University of Michigan, The National Election Studies.

66. Civic Duty and Competence
Civic duty: a belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs
Civic competence: a belief that one can affect government policies

67. Political Elites
Political elites: those who have a disproportionate amount of some valued resource
Elites influence public opinion by framing issues and stating norms
But elite influence only goes so far; they do not define problems that are rooted in personal experience

68. What is Public Opinion?
Public opinion: How people think or feel about particular things
The distribution of individual attitudes about a particular issue, candidate, political institution, etc.
Not easy to measure
The opinions of active and knowledgeable people carry more weight

69. George Gallup Developed “Gallup Polls” Started in 1935 1st “pollster”
Since 1936, agency has picked one general election result incorrect

70. How Polling Works
Pollsters need to pose reasonable questions that are worded fairly
They have to ask people about things for which they have some basis to form an opinion

71. Sampling Representative – must mirror population you want answer about
Random – give everyone an equal possibility of being sampled
Wording – questions can’t be leading
Straw poll – poor polling technique

72. Random Sampling
Random sampling is necessary to insure a reasonably accurate measure of how the entire population thinks or feels
For populations over 500,000, pollsters need to make about 15,000 phone calls to reach 1,065 respondents, insuring the poll has a sampling error of only +/- 3%

73. How Opinions Differ
Opinion saliency: some people care more about certain issues than other people do
Opinion stability: the steadiness or volatility of opinion on an issue
Opinion-policy congruence: the level of correspondence between government action and majority sentiment on an issue

74. The Culture War The cultural clash in America is a battle over values
The culture war differs from political disputes
The culture conflict is animated by deep differences in people’s beliefs about morality

75. Two Cultural “Camps”
Orthodox: morality is as, or more, important than self-expression; morality derives from fixed rules from God
Progressive: personal freedom is as, or more, important than tradition; rules change based on circumstances of modern life and individual preferences

76. Freedom vs. Order /Equality

77. 4 Sides to every issue Social Abortion Drugs Death Penalty
Gay Marriage
Pornography
3 Strikes Law
Euthanasia
Criminal Rights vs Victim Rights
Economic
Minimum Wage
Taxes
Affirmative action
Environmental Regulations
Gentrification
Immigration
Universal Healthcare
Welfare