1. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

3. Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action The American People How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information What Americans Value: Political Ideologies How Americans Participate in Politics Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Summary

4. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives The American People LO 6.1: Identify demographic trends and their likely impact on American politics. How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization LO 6.2: Outline how various forms of socialization shape political opinions.

5. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information LO 6.3: Explain how polls are conducted and what can be learned from them about American public opinion. What Americans Value: Political Ideologies What Americans Value: Political Ideologies LO 6.4: Assess the influence of political ideology on Americans’ political thinking and behavior.

6. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives How Americans Participate in Politics LO 6.5: Classify forms of political participation into two broad types. Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action LO 6.6: Analyze how public opinion about the scope of government guides political behavior.

7. The American People LO 6.1: Identify demographic trends and their likely impact on American politics. Public Opinion The distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues. For American government to work efficiently and effectively, the diversity of the public and its opinions must be channeled through the political process. To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

8. The American People The Immigrant Society The American Melting Pot The Regional Shift The Graying of America To Learning Objectives LO 6.1

9. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The American People The Immigrant Society United States is a nation of immigrants. Three waves of immigration into the United States are mainly (1) Northwestern Europeans prior to late 19 th Century, (2) Southern and eastern Europeans in late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, and (3) Hispanics and Asians in late 20 th century. To Learning Objectives LO 6.1

10. To Learning Objectives LO 6.1 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

11. The American People The American Melting Pot Melting pot – The mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has 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. To Learning Objectives LO 6.1

12. To Learning Objectives LO 6.1 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

13. To Learning Objectives LO 6.1 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

14. The American People The Regional Shift Much of America’s population growth since World War II has been centered in the West and South. Reapportionment is the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census. To Learning Objectives LO 6.1

15. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The American People The Graying of America Aging population – Implications for Social Security. Social Security is a pay as-you-go system, which means that today’s workers pay the benefits for today’s retirees. By 2040, there will be only about two workers per retiree. To Learning Objectives LO 6.1

16. To Learning Objectives LO 6.1 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

17. How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization LO 6.2: Outline how various forms of socialization shape political opinions. Political Socialization The process through which individuals in a society acquire political attitudes, views, and knowledge, based on inputs from family, schools, the media, and others. To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

18. AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION PEOPLE & INSTITUTIONS WE COME IN CONTACT WITH THAT INFLUENCE OUR BELIEFS

19. AGENT #1- THE FAMILY HOW DOES FAMILY INFLUENCE OUR BELIEFS?

20. FAMILY HAS STRONGEST INFLUENCE ON PARTY I.D.

21. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman AGENT #2- SCHOOLS & EDUCATION HOW DOES THE EDUCATION WE RECEIVE IMPACT ON OUR POLITICAL VIEWS?

22. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman AGENT #3- PEERS DO YOU & YOUR FRIENDS DISCUSS ISSUES?

23. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman STUDIES SHOW THE MORE FORMAL EDUCATION ONE RECEIVES, THE MORE KNOWLEDGE OF ISSUES AND EVENTS, THE MORE LIKELY TO PARTICIPATE AGENT #4 - RELIGION HOW DOES RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE IMPACT ON OUR POLITICAL VIEWS?

24. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman AGENT #5- MASS MEDIA

25. AGENT #6-SECONDARY GROUPS

26. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman - PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO GROUPS WITH SIMILAR VIEWS - GROUPS SUPPORT AND STRENGTHEN PARTY I.D. -GROUPS HELP INSPIRE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

27. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

28.  AFRICAN AMERICANS OVERWHELMINGLY DEMOCRAT  ASIAN AMERICANS IDENTIFY MORE WITH  REPUBLICANS  LATINOS MORE DEMOCRATIC

29. AGENT #8- REGION

30. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization Politics is a lifelong activity Aging increases your political participation and the strength of your party attachment. Political behavior is to some degree learned behavior.

32. Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information LO 6.3: Explain how polls are conducted and what can be learned from them about American public opinion. How Polls Are Conducted The Role of Polls in American Democracy What Polls Reveal About Americans’ Political Information The Decline of Trust in Government To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

33. Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information How Polls Are Conducted Sample – People in survey to be representative of the whole. Random Sampling – People should get equal probability of being selected for the sample. Sampling Error – Confidence in public opinion poll findings. To Learning Objectives LO 6.3

34. To Learning Objectives LO 6.3 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

35. Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information The Role of Polls in American Democracy Polls help politicians detect public preferences. Critics – Politicians think more about following than leading public; bandwagon effect distort elections; exit polls discourage voting; and wording of questions manipulate answers. To Learning Objectives LO 6.3

36. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information What Polls Reveal About Americans’ Political Information Americans don’t know much about politics. Americans may know their basic beliefs but not how that affects policies of the government. To Learning Objectives LO 6.3

37. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information The Decline of Trust in Government Since 1964, trust in government has declined. Trust in government has gone up somewhat since 9/11/2001. To Learning Objectives LO 6.3

38. Izzy Schwartz/Photdisc/Getty Images Watch “ProtestAgainstBigGovernment.wmv ”

41. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Political Trust and Political Legitimacy Political trust Essential to political legitimacy in a democracy Political legitimacy Popular acceptance of a government and its officials as rightful authorities in the exercise of power Declining trust in government officials contributes to decline in political legitimacy Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

42. What Americans Value: Political Ideologies LO 6.4: Assess the influence of political ideology on Americans’ political thinking and behavior. Political Ideology A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose, which helps give meaning to political events. Liberal ideology supports a wide scope for the government. Conservative ideology supports a less active scope of government. To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

43. What Americans Value: Political Ideologies Who Are the Liberals and Conservatives? Do People Think in Ideological Terms? To Learning Objectives LO 6.4

44. To Learning Objectives LO 6.4 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

45. What Americans Value: Political Ideologies Who Are the Liberals and Conservatives? Americans pick ideological label of conservative over liberal. Gender gap – Women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. To Learning Objectives LO 6.4

46. Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Pete Stone/CORBIS

47. To Learning Objectives LO 6.4 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

48. What Americans Value: Political Ideologies Do People Think in Ideological Terms? Ideologues (12%) – Yes they do. Group Benefits (42%) – Think of groups they like or dislike. Nature of the Times (24%) – If times are good or bad to them. No issue content (22%) – Vote for party or personality. To Learning Objectives LO 6.4

49. To Learning Objectives LO 6.4 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

50. How Americans Participate in Politics LO 6.5: Classify forms of political participation into two broad types. Political Participation All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. Most common means of political participation in a democracy is voting; other means include protest and civil disobedience. To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

51. How Americans Participate in Politics Conventional Participation Protest as Participation Class, Inequality, and Participation To Learning Objectives LO 6.5

52. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Americans Participate in Politics Conventional Participation Voting in elections. Working in campaigns or running for office. Contacting elected officials. Ringing doorbells for a petition. Running for office. To Learning Objectives LO 6.5

53. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Americans Participate in Politics Protest as Participation Protest – Designed to achieve policy changes through dramatic and unconventional tactics. Civil disobedience – Reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences. Violence – Riots and fighting. To Learning Objectives LO 6.5

54. To Learning Objectives LO 6.5 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

55. How Americans Participate in Politics Class, Inequality, and Participation Class-biased activity – Citizens of higher socioeconomic status participating more than others. Minorities are below average in terms of participation. Who gets what in politics depends on who participates. To Learning Objectives LO 6.5

56. To Learning Objectives LO 6.5 Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

57. Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action LO 6.6: Analyze how public opinion about the scope of government guides political behavior. Public Attitudes Toward the Scope of Government Democracy, Public Opinion, and Political Action To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

58. Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Public Attitudes Toward the Scope of Government Many people have no opinion about scope of government. Public opinion is inconsistent, which may lead to policy gridlock. To Learning Objectives LO 6.6

59. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Democracy, Public Opinion, and Political Action Americans select leaders in democratic elections. Polls reveal that Americans know little about candidates’ issues. People vote more for performance than policy. To Learning Objectives LO 6.6

60. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Copyright © 2011, 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

61. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman WHAT POLLS REVEAL ABOUT AMERICAN’S POLITICAL INFORMATION We have a low level of political knowledge! Part of the reason our system works is the fact that people DO know what basic values they want upheld even when they don’t know about policy questions or decision makers. Unfortunately, increased levels of education over the last 4 decades have scarcely raised public knowledge about politics.

62. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.1 Summary The American People Immigration has accelerated in America in recent decades. The size of the minority population has increased greatly. By 2050, whites will represent less than 50% of the population. The population has also been aging and moving to Sunbelt states such as California, Texas, and Florida. To Learning Objectives

63. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following is the fastest-growing group in the United States? A.African Americans B.Asian Americans C.Hispanics D.Native Americans To Learning Objectives LO 6.1

64. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following is the fastest-growing group in the United States? A.African Americans B.Asian Americans C.Hispanics D.Native Americans To Learning Objectives LO 6.1

65. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.2 Summary How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization The principal actors in the socialization process are the family, the media, and schools. As people age, the firmness with which they hold political attitudes, such as party identification, tends to increase. To Learning Objectives

66. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The main source of political socialization WITHIN the context is government and civics classes. A.school B.family C.mass media D.all of the above To Learning Objectives LO 6.2

67. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The main source of political socialization WITHIN the context is government and civics classes. A.school B.family C.mass media D.all of the above To Learning Objectives LO 6.2

68. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.3 Summary Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information Polls are conducted through the technique of random sampling. A random sample of 1,000 will yield results within plus or minus three percentage points of what would be found if everyone were interviewed. Polls detect public preferences and how informed we are about issues. To Learning Objectives

69. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following ensures that the opinions of several hundred million Americans can be inferred through polling? A.Random sampling. B.Sampling error. C.Population sampling that ensures a sample size of at least 1,000 to 1,500 people. D.All of the above. To Learning Objectives LO 6.3

70. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following ensures that the opinions of several hundred million Americans can be inferred through polling? A.Random sampling. B.Sampling error. C.Population sampling that ensures a sample size of at least 1,000 to 1,500 people. D.All of the above. To Learning Objectives LO 6.3

71. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.4 Summary What Americans Value: Political Ideologies A political ideology is a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy. The two most prominent ideologies in American politics are conservatism and liberalism. These ideologies guide people’s thinking on policy issues. To Learning Objectives

72. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.4 Summary What Americans Value: Political Ideologies (cont.) 62% of Americans call themselves either conservatives or liberals. Americans are conservative (36%) in principle but liberal (26%) in practice; that is, they are against big government but favor more spending on a wide variety of programs. To Learning Objectives

73. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Americans are more likely to be. A.conservative than liberal B.liberal than conservative C.moderate than conservative D.moderate than liberal To Learning Objectives LO 6.4

74. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Americans are more likely to be. A.conservative than liberal B.liberal than conservative C.moderate than conservative D.moderate than liberal To Learning Objectives LO 6.4

75. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.5 Summary How Americans Participate in Politics Conventional participation includes voting, writing letters or e-mails to public officials, attending political meetings, signing petitions, and giving money to campaigns and political groups. To Learning Objectives

76. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.5 Summary How Americans Participate in Politics (cont.) Unconventional participation includes attending protest demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience. Citizens of higher social economic status participate more in American politics. To Learning Objectives

77. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following type of political participation is most common in the United States? A.Protesting a governmental policy. B.Litigating through the court system. C.Writing to a member of Congress. D.Voting in elections. To Learning Objectives LO 6.5

78. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following type of political participation is most common in the United States? A.Protesting a governmental policy. B.Litigating through the court system. C.Writing to a member of Congress. D.Voting in elections. To Learning Objectives LO 6.5

79. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.6 Summary Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Conservatives think the scope of government has become too wide in recent decades. Liberals believe the scope of government should be further increased and support the 2010 Health Insurance Reform Act. To Learning Objectives

80. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Public opinion polls reveal that Americans A.are ideological liberals but operational conservatives. B.oppose the idea of big government in principle but favor it in practice. C.favor the idea of big government in principle but oppose it in practice. D.are ideological moderates. To Learning Objectives LO 6.6

81. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Public opinion polls reveal that Americans A.are ideological liberals but operational conservatives. B.oppose the idea of big government in principle but favor it in practice. C.favor the idea of big government in principle but oppose it in practice. D.are ideological moderates. To Learning Objectives LO 6.6

82. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Text Credits Excerpt from “Most Don’t Know What ‘Public Option’ Is,” August 27, 2009, http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/08/poll-mostdont-know- what-public-option.html. Used with permission. US Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/files/nation/sum mary/np2008-t4.xls.

83. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Photo Credits 186: AP Photos 188: Jason Smith/Getty Images 191: Bob Daemmrich/The Image Works 192: Virginie Montot/Getty Images 196: Sven Hagolani/Getty Images 200: www.cartoonstock.com 208: AP Photos