1. Public Opinion and Political Action Chapter 6

2.  The distribution of the populations’ belief about politics and policy issues  reflects the differences among American people  Problems:  people are not often informed  the less informed are less likely to vote What is Public Opinion?

3.  Demography = the science of human population changes  census  Census Bureau  1990 = 4.7 million not counted  Department of commerce vs. US House of Representatives (1990) The American People

4.  Immigrant Society  United States is a nation of immigrants.  “ not merely a nation, but a nation of nations” – JFK  Three waves of immigration:  Northwestern Europeans (prior to late 19 th Century)  Southern and eastern Europeans (late 19 th and early 20 th centuries)  Hispanics and Asians (late 20 th century)

5.  American melting Pot  Melting pot = mixture of cultures, ideas, and people that has change the nation  Minority majority = America will soon stop being a predominant Anglo-Saxon majority  Non – Caucasian majority  Political culture is an overall set of values widely shared within a society. The American People

6. 2000 census  69% white  12 % black  13% Hispanics  4% Asian  1% Natives  2010  72% white  64% white not of Hispanic decent  13% black  16% Hispanic  5% Asian  <1% Native The # of blacks has been outnumbers by Hispanics Minorities = 30% of population

8.  The American Melting Pot (continued)  Racial disadvantages  African Americans face a legacy of racism.  24% of African Americans in poverty vs. 10% of whites in poverty  Hispanics  Faced with problem of illegal immigration  Simpson – Mazzoli Act: requires employers document citizenship of employee  Asians  professionals  Native Americans  Only 4 million in the nation  ½ live below the poverty line

9. The American People  The Regional Shift  Population shift from east to west  Reapportionment: the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008

10.  Graying America  65 yrs old = fastest growing age  Drain on Social Security  Pay as you go system  In 1942 – 42 workers per retiree  In 2040 – 2 workers per retiree

11.  Political Socialization:  “the process through which and individual acquires [their] particular political orientation”  Orientation grow firmer with age  The Process of Political Socialization  The Family  Political leanings of children often mirror their parents’ leanings Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization

13.  The Process of Political Socialization (continued)  The Mass Media  Chief source of information as children age  Generation gap is viewing television news  School  Used by government to socialize young into political culture  Better-educated citizens are more likely to vote and are more knowledgeable about politics and policy.  Political Learning Over a Lifetime  Aging increases political participation and strength of party attachment. Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization

15.  Political ideology = coherent set of values and beliefs about Public Policy  Liberals vs Conservatives  Predominance of conservative over liberal thinking  Currently about 38% conservative, 24% liberal, 38% moderate  Gender gap: women tend to be less conservative than men  Ideological variation by religion too What Americans Value: Political Ideologies

17.  Who are liberals and conservatives  Older vs. younger  Minorities  Gender gap  Financial status  Religion

18. What Americans Value: Political Ideologies  Do People Think in Ideological Terms?  Ideologues: think in ideological terms  Group Benefits voters: view politics through party or group label  Nature of the Times: view of politics based on whether times are good or bad  No issue content: vote routinely for party or personality

19.  How Polls Are Conducted  Sample: a small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey to be representative of the whole  Random Sampling: the key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample  Sampling Error: the level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information

20.  The Role of Polls in American Democracy  Polls help politicians detect public preferences.  But critics say polls make politicians think more about following than leading public  Even though politicians do not track opinion to make policy  Question wording may affect survey results  Polls may distort election process Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information

21.  The Role of Polls in American Democracy (continued)  Exit Polls: used by the media to predict election day winners  May discourage people from voting  2000 Presidential election Bush vs. Gore  2012 Presidential election Obama vs. Kerry Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information

22.  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.  The Decline of Trust in Government  Since 1964, trust in government has declined.  Trust in government has gone up somewhat since September 11. Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information

24. Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008

25.  Political Participation  Activities in which citizens engage to influence the selection of political leaders or policies to pursue  Conventional Participation  Voting, campaigning, contacting officials  Unconventional Participation  Protest, Civil Disobedience  Political elites  Activists, party leader, interest group leaders, judges, members of Congress How Americans participate in Politics

26.  Class, Inequality, and Participation Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008

27.  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.  Democracy, Public Opinion, and Political Action  Americans select leaders, but do they do so wisely?  If people know little about candidates’ issues, how can they?  People vote more for performance than policy. Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action

28.  American society is ethnically diverse and changing.  Knowing public opinion is important to a democracy, just as polling has costs and benefits.  Americans know little about politics.  Political participation is generally low. Pearson Education, Inc., Longman © 2008 Summary