4.1-4.3 gov

political socialization

process by which a person develops political values and beliefs

political socialization through:

family, church, school/college, peers, media

family

primary influence in the development of a child’s political orientation

school

SECOND most influential factor, child’s extended exposure to a variety of political beliefs

mass media

media serves as a medium of political information to kids who spend a lot of time in front of a screen

religion

religious tradition can have a strong effect on political views

political culture

the underlying beliefs, values, assumptions, attitudes, and patterns of behavior people have toward government and politics

core values and attitude

Citizen's attitudes toward government and toward one another are influenced by the way they interpret core American values.

individualism

The belief in personal responsibility and independence.

equality of opportunity

idea that everyone should have the same chance to succeed

free enterprise

An economic system with minimal government interference.

rule of law

The belief that laws apply to everyone equally.

limited government

government should only do what is necessary and no more

generational effects

experiences shared by people of a common age and life cycle effects are experiences a person encounters during different life stages.

ideology

system of ideas and ideals, especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

2 effects that change our ideology

lifestyle effects and generational effects

life cycle events

variety of physical and psychological changes people go through as they age

generation effects

refers to the long-lasting impact of historical events experienced by a particular generation on their political attitudes and beliefs.

gender gap

The difference in ideology between men and women. Generally, women are more liberal than men.

opinion polls

assessment of the public's opinion obtained by questioning a representative sample.

benchmark/tracking polls

Polls used to measure how opinions have changed over time by asking the same question over a period

entrance/exit polls

Polls that ask voters on election day how they voted

Used to predict the outcome of elections and are employed by media organizations that need election coverage prior to the final ballot count.

sample

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

1937 gallup poll

"Would you vote for a woman for President if she was qualified in every other way?"

1980 roper poll

• "Does it seem possible, or does it seem impossible to you that the Nazi extermination of Jews never happened?" —34% said possible!

• Alternative poll: "Does it seem possible to you that the Nazi extermination of Jews never happened, or do you feel certain that it happened?" —less than 10% said possible.

push polls

"Would you feel comfortable voting for John Kerry if you knew he stopped receiving illegal campaign contributions?"

bradley effect - social desirability distortion

When questions request answers that would be undesirable