1. AP US Government & Politics Review Part II

2. II. Political beliefs and behaviors of individuals (10-20%)
Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders
Processes by which citizens learn about politics
The nature of public opinion
The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life

3. Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders

4. Political Culture
Definition: a way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out
Example: Americans believe more strongly in political than in economic equality
Elements of American view of political system:
Liberty (rights)
Equality
Democracy (govt. is accountable to the people)
Civic duty
Individual responsibility

5. Political Culture, continued
D. Americanism vs. Un-Americanism: strong evidence of existence of a common political culture
Economic System
Support free enterprise
Believe in equality of opportunity, not of result
Commitment to economic individualism

6. Political Culture, continued
Compared to other nations
Some other nations value community more than individual
Americans more likely to assert rights and emphasize individualism, competition, equality, following rules, treating others fairly
Americans lag behind Europeans in voting rates but not in other forms of participation
Americans have more confidence in government institutions
Americans very proud of national identity

7. Political Culture, continued
Mistrust of Government
1. Increased since 1960s
2. Less trust in President, Congress; more trust in state and local govt
3. Reasons: Vietnam, Watergate
4. Mistrust seems to be specific to certain leaders, not to the system

8. Trust in the Federal Government, 1958-1998
Source: University of Michigan, The National Election Studies (September 1999), table 5A. 1.

9. Processes by which citizens learn about politics

10. 1. Origins of political attitudes
Role of family
Party identification of family usually absorbed
Younger voters less partisan
Children less influenced on policy questions than party ID
Religion
Religious tradition impacts political beliefs
Catholic families tend to be more liberal on economic issues
Protestant families more conservative
Jewish families more liberal on economic and social issues
Gender Gap
Men have become increasingly more Republican since mid-1960s
Women have kept same rate of Democratic Party affiliation
Result today is that women vote Democratic more than men

12. The Party Identification of Men and Women: 1952-1996
Source: Karen M. Kaufman and John R. Petrocik, “ The Changing Politics of American Men: Understanding the Sources of the Gender Gap,” American Journal of Political Science 43 (1999):

15. Origins of political attitudes, continued
Education
College education has liberalizing effect
The more highly educated people are, the more likely they are to be liberal
Cleavages
Social class less important in US than in Europe
Region: political views today less regionally distinct than in past
White southerners less attached to Democratic Party today than in past

16. Origins of political attitudes, continued
Ideology
Coherent set of political beliefs about who ought to rule, the principles they should obey, and what policies they ought to pursue
Liberal vs. Conservative:
Economic Policy: liberals favor more government involvement in economy; conservatives want less
Civil Rights: liberals favor strong federal action to ensure civil rights; conservatives want less federal action
Public and political conduct: liberals are more tolerant on personal behavior issues, conservatives less
Most people consider themselves Moderate, which is somewhere in between liberal and conservative

17. The nature of public opinion
What is public opinion?
Attitudes, perceptions, and viewpoints individuals hold about politics and government. Hard to know what it really is, because
A. Public is ignorant (Monetary Control Bill)
B. Public opinion is unstable
C. Wording of polling questions affect outcome
Characteristics of public opinion
Saliency: how important an issue is to a particular group—i.e., Social Security to senior citizens
Intensity: how strongly people feel about an issue—NRA members are much more strongly against gun control than the average person is in favor of it
Stability: how much does opinion on an issue change over time

18. The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life
Voter turnout
US has lower voter turnout than Western European Democracies
But when you compare registered voter turnout, US is in middle of WED
Registration is not easy in US; it’s automatic in many WED
By measures of political participation other than voting, Americans participate more than Europeans
Forms of participation
Voting is most common form; presidential elections have highest voter turnout
Other forms: campaigning, community activities

19. Sources of Voter Registration Application, 1995-1996
Source: Federal Election Commission, Executive Summary--Report to Congress, June 1997.

20. Causes of Participation
The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life, continued
Causes of Participation
More likely to participate if:
More educated
Attend church
Higher socio-economic status
Whites participate more than blacks, but not if socio-economic status is factored out
Men and women participate at almost same rate (women vote slightly more)

21. Voter Participation in Presidential Elections, 1860-1996
Source: For : Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics for the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part 2, 1071; : Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1992, 517.

22. Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections, by Age, Schooling, and Race, 1964-1996
Source: Updated from Gary R. Orren, “The Linkage of Policy to Participation,” in Presidential Selection, ed. Alexander Heard and Michael Nelson (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1987). Data for 1996 are from Statistical Abstract of the United States 1998, 296, as supplied by Christopher Blunt.