1. Is public opinion important in a government?
Public Opinion: the ideas and attitudes that a significant number of citizens hold about their government and political issues
Is public opinion important in a government?

2. Video “Are Liberals and Conservatives Made or Born”

3. How is Public Opinion Formed?
What we believe and why…Political Ideology
Political Ideology Definition
A comprehensive, integrated set of views about government and politics
A coherent set of ideas of on how people should live together
A plan of action for applying these ideas

4. Our Ideology Comes from our… Political Socialization
The process by which we are taught and develop our individual and collective political beliefs
A lifelong process by which people form their ideas about politics and acquire political values. While family and school are important early in life, what our peers think and what we read in the newspaper and see on television have more influence on our political attitudes as adults.
Name some factors that influence our Political Socialization…

5. You
Classmate

6. Did you name these? Political socialization begins within the family.
Schools and peer groups add to the political socialization process.
Each person’s personal experiences influence their political views.
The mass media plays an important role in political socialization.
Other influences include government leaders, interest groups, and religious organizations.
Social and economic differences

7. Family
What do we mean???
How important??

8. Family Our first political ideas are shaped within the family.
Parents seldom “talk politics” with their young children directly, but casual remarks made around the dinner table or while helping with homework can have an impact.
Family tradition is particularly a factor in party identification, as indicated by the phrases “lifelong Republican” and “lifelong Democrat.”
The family may be losing its power as an agent of socialization, however, as institutions take over more of child care and parents perform less of it.

9. Peers
What do we mean???
How important??

10. Peers
Although peer pressure certainly affects teenagers' lifestyles, it is less evident in developing their political values.
Exceptions are issues that directly affect them, such as the Vietnam War during the 1960s.
Later, if peers are defined in terms of occupation, then the group does exert an influence on how its members think politically.
For example, professionals such as teachers or bankers often have similar political opinions, particularly on matters related to their careers.

11. Religion
What do we mean???
How important??

12. Religion
The concept of the separation of church and state does not prevent religion from acting as a force in American politics.
Strongly held beliefs affect the stand individuals take on issues such as public school prayer and state aid to private or parochial schools.
Religion can also determine attitudes on abortion and gay and lesbian rights, irrespective of other factors.
It is important to recognize, however, that the major religious groups in the United States—Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish as well as the growing Islamic—have their own liberal and conservative wings that frequently oppose each other on political issues.

13. Education
What do we mean???
How important??

14. Schools
Political facts are learned through courses in American history and government, and schools, at their best, encourage students to critically examine government institutions.
Schools themselves are involved in politics; issues such as curriculum reform, funding, and government support for private schools often spark a debate that involves students, teachers, parents, and the larger community.
Children are introduced to elections and voting when they choose class officers, and the more sophisticated elections in high school and college teach the rudiments of campaigning.

15. Events
What do we mean???
How important??

16. Events
Events like Watergate, the Vietnam War, Iran/Contra affair, Whitewater, and assorted corruption within Washington has led to a distrust of those in Washington among some age groups.
Recently events like 9-11 and the War on Terror have had an effect on political beliefs.

17. Media
What do we mean???
How important??

18. Media Influences
Much of our political information comes from the mass media: newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet.
The amount of time the average American family watches TV makes it the dominant information source.
TV not only helps shape public opinion by providing news and analysis, but also its entertainment programming addresses (intentionally influences?) contemporary issues such as drug use, abortion, gay marriage, and crime.

19. Political Culture
Political Culture is the widely shared beliefs, values and norms about a nation and its government that most citizens share
Political culture normally provides the left and right limits for a society
Name some of the beliefs shared by most Americans….

20. Gender
What do we mean???
How important??

21. Gender
Gender gap, a term that refers to the varying political opinions men and women hold, is a recent addition to the American political lexicon.
Unmarried women hold political views distinct from those of men and married women, views that lead them to support the Democratic party at a disproportionate rate.
Studies indicate that more women than men approve of gun control, want stronger environmental laws, oppose the death penalty, and support spending on social programs.

22. SES
What do we mean???
How important??

23. Social/Economic Differences and Education Level
All Americans generally favor a limited government and emphasize the ability of everyone to succeed through hard work.
But, low-income Americans tend to endorse a stronger economic role for the federal government than do wealthier Americans, particularly by supporting programs such as welfare and increases in the minimum wage.

24. SES/Education Level
Wealthier Americans are the ones who mostly pay for social programs, and they naturally want to hold down their tax burden.
Nevertheless, even low-income Americans are less likely to consider redistribution of wealth a valid governmental task than are adults socialized in other industrialized countries (such as European nations).
This belief in individual responsibility may overcome a worker's self-interest in endorsing large social programs.

25. Age
What do we mean???
How important??

26. Age
Think of the different views between a 25 year old father and a 70 year old grandfather!
Elderly tend to oppose increases in public school spending while supporting Social Security & Medicare increases.
Strong political lobby in the AARP
While some younger people concerned that Social Security won’t be around when they retire, favor changes, public school financing, etc. many are apathetic and disconnected

27. Section/Region
What do we mean???
How important??

28. Section/Region
The region of the country a person lives in can affect political attitudes.
The Southern states tend to support a strong defense policy, a preference reinforced by the presence of many military installations in the region.
The South's traditional conservatism was recognized in Richard Nixon's so-called Southern strategy, which began the process of strengthening the Republican party in the region.
Moreover, issues that are vital in one particular region generate little interest in others—agricultural price supports in the Midwest or water rights and access to public lands in the West, for example.
Questions about Social Security and Medicare have an added importance in the Sunbelt states with their high percentage of older adults.

29. BACKUP

30. Compare the Child’s Party with the Parents’ Party
Democrat
Independent
Republican
66%
29%
13%
27%
53%
36% 7%
17%
51%