1. Participation & Voting Behavior
AP Government

2. Conservatism opposition to gov't intervention in economy
opposition to gov't intervention in social programs
support for intervention to uphold morality
support for strong military
approves of use of force to attain goals
support of balanced budget
support for limited taxes

3. Liberalism little gov't involvement in social & economic life
support for intervention in economy
support for social programs
against moral codes imposed by gov't
against expansion of military

4. Libertarianism emphasis on basic rights & free market economy
support freedom of trade
very limited gov't with provision for defense
no gov't economic or social programs
abolish gov't departments (bureaucracy)
abolish laws against victimless crimes

5. Political Scale

6. Increase regulation and worker protection
Liberal
Conservative
Business
Increase regulation and worker protection
Ease regulation & keep gov’t out of business
Taxes
Increase taxes
Cut taxes
Abortion
Pro-Choice
Pro-life
Social Spending
Increase
Decrease or maintain
Defense Spending
Death Penalty
Ban
Maintain

7. Reduce w/ more capitalistic policies
Liberal
Conservative
Size of Gov’t
Increase w/
more social policies
Reduce w/ more capitalistic policies
Same Sex Marriage
Legalize
Ban
Affirmative Action
For (maintain race based preferences)
Against (ban race based preferences)
ANWR Drilling
Prevent drilling in Alaska
Pursue this & other domestic oil sources

8. Protect rights of the accused Maximum punishment; rights of victims
Liberal
Conservative
Crime
Protect rights of the accused
Maximum punishment; rights of victims
School Vouchers
End the program
Expand the program
Doctor Assisted Suicide
Allow
Prevent
Minimum Wage
Increase
Lower or eliminate
Social Security
Increase age of eligibility
Privatize

9. Make 100% government controlled Deregulate; move to free market
Liberal
Conservative
Health Care
Make 100% government controlled
Deregulate; move to free market
Personal Responsibility
Gov’t needs to protect citizens from themselves
People should be responsible & accountable for own actions
Religion
Separation of church & state; prevent faith based initiatives
Introduce more religion in school; allow faith based initiatives

10. Political Participation

11. Forms of Political Participation
Following and discussing politics
Campaign activities
Voting
Contacting public officials
Group activities (political parties, interest groups, etc)
Protests

12. Voting Behaviors

13. Voting Eligibility Elimination of property requirements (1830)
Elimination of racial discrimination in 15th Amendment (1870)
Elimination of sexual discrimination in 19th Amendment (1920)
Elimination of poll taxes in 24th Amendment (1964)
Elimination of literacy tests in Voting Rights Act (1965)
Elimination of several state registration laws in Voting Rights Act (1993)
Reduction of voting age to 18 in 26th Amendment (1971)
Reduction of residency requirement to one or two months in most states

14. Voter Turnout 50%+ participation in presidential elections
33% for high state offices
33% + for congressional midterm elections
20% for lower state and all local elections
38% votes every two years in elections (core electorate)

15. Reasons for Voting Duty and obligation of citizenship
Belief that every vote counts
Predicted closeness of an election
Desire to influence elections & policy
Identification with a party or candidate

16. Reasons NOT to vote Lack of interest Lack of faith in system
Lack of choices between candidates
Domination of area by one party
Lack of transportation
Illness on voting day
Failure to obtain absentee ballot
Out of district on voting day

21. Reasons to Vote for a Particular Candidate
Party Affiliation
Policy Vision
Interest in a particular issue
Personal Appeal

22. Public Opinion

23. Public Opinion
Opinions of people about elected officials, candidates, public policy, and government institutions
Reflection of values, beliefs and attitudes
Opinions of various groups are often swayed by differences in gender, age, class, region and race

24. Characteristics of Public Opinion
Intensity – causes a strong reaction
Latency –doesn’t effect you now, but may later
Salience – effects you personally
Consensus – most people agree on
Polarization – splits public opinion, can’t get a compromise on
Stability – public opinion stays the same
Fluidity – public opinion is changing

25. Measuring Public Opinion
Polling - sample the attitudes of particular groups
Questionnaires
Closed ended questions needed over open ended
Leading (Loaded) Questions result in inaccurate info
Samples - groups of the population
Random – Anyone from population can be chosen
Stratified – Sample statistically mirrors population
Sampling error – difference between the sample and the entire population (increase in sample size will increase reliability of survey and reduce margin of error)