Chapter 13/14 vocabulary - APUSGOV

approval rating

Gauged by pollsters asking whether the respondent approves, yes or no, of the president's job performance

benchmark polls

the first type of poll used by political campaign; used to measure support for a candidate and to gather information about the issues people care about

entrance polls

A poll conducted outside polling places on election day to publicly predict the outcome of the election before voters have cast their votes

exit polls

A poll conducted outside polling places on election day to publicly predict the outcome of the election after voters have cast their votes

focus group

a small group of citizens-10 to 40 people-who are gathered to hold conversations about issues or candidates

public opinion polls

interviews or surveys that are used to gauge attitudes on issues or support for candidates in an election in a cross-section of the population

push polling

a controversial/deceptive way to influence potential voters; the caller offers positive points about the candidate and/or negative points about the opponent

random-digit dialing

A technique used by pollsters in which a computer places random calls to possible numbers in a given area until enough people respond to establish a sample

random sample

method of selecting from a universe in which each person has an equal chance of selection into the sample

representative sample (universe)

a group of people meant to represent the large group in question

sampling error (margin of error)

the difference between poll results

sampling techniques

The method used to select people randomly and fairly from the population to assure an accurate poll

tracking polls

Ask people questions to measure how prospective voters feel about an issue and how they may vote on election day

weighting (stratification)

making sure demographic groups are properly represented in a sample

bandwagon effect

a shift of support to a candidate or position holding the lead in public opinion polls and therefore believed to be endorsed by many people

Bradley effect

tendency of white voters to not express opposition to a black candidate to pollsters, in order to not appear racist

non-response bias

a phenomenon in which the results of polls become non-representative because the participants disproportionately possess certain traits which affect the outcome

social desirability bias

the tendency for respondents and declared voters to tell pollsters what they think the pollsters want to hear

conservative

describes those who believe in following tradition and having reverence for authority

ideology

a comprehensive and mutually consistent set of ideas

liberal

being open to allowing the government to act flexibly and expand beyond established constraints

libertarian

voters who generally oppose government intervention or regulation

moderate

the term used to describe individuals who are somewhere in between on the ideological spectrum, and never fall fully into one camp or the other

populist

will generally attend a Protestant church and follow fundamental Christian ideas

progressive

describes individuals who are aligned with labor unions and believe in workers rights over corporate rights; also believe that the wealthier classes should pay a much larger percentage of taxes than they currently do

saliency

intense importance to an individual or a group

valence issues

concerns or policies that are viewed in the same way by people with a variety of ideologies

wedge issues

used by political groups in strategic ways to gather support for an issue, especially among those who have yet to develop strong opinions

agenda

a list of potential policy ideas, bills, or plans to improve society

majoritarian

system of policy making in which those with a majority hold authority

globalization

the process of an ever-expanding and increasingly interactive world economy

progressive tax

A tax for which one's tax rate increases as income increases

supply side economics

An economic philosophy that believes that the government should leave as much of the money supply as possible to the people, letting the laws of economics govern the marketplace

trade balance

the value of a nation's exports minus the value of its imports

North American Free Trade Agreement (1994)

lifted trade barriers and removed import taxes among the US, Canada, and Mexico

bonds

Certificates of debt that carry a promise to buy back the bonds at a higher price

discount rate

the interest rate at which the government loans actual dollars to commercial banks

Federal Reserve Board

the board of seven "governors" appointed by the president and approved by the Senate for staggered 14-year terms

fiscal policy

the part of economic policy that is concerned with government spending and taxation

flat tax

taxes citizens at the same rate

inflation

rising prices and devaluation of the dollar

Internal Revenue Service

The branch of the U.S. Treasury Department in charge of overseeing the process of collecting taxes

monetary policy

how the government manages the supply and demand of its currency and thus the value of the dollar

multiplier effect

a mechanism by which an increase in spending results in an economic growth greater than the amount of spending

reserve requirements

the amount of cash banks must keep in their vaults

Sixteenth Amendment (1913)

Trumped the Court and allows Congress to tax people's incomes

entitlements

government services Congress has promised by law to citizens

mandatory spending

Required govt spending to those who are legally "entitled" to those funds

social welfare

support for disadvantaged people to meet their basic needs

Medicaid

a health care program for the impoverished who cannot afford necessary medical expenses

Medicare

a government-run health insurance program for citizens over 65 years old

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010

provides numerous rights and protections that make health coverage more fair and easy to understand; Obamacare

Social Security Act (1935)

the largest entitlement program passed by Congress amid the Great Depression to create a federal safety net for the elderly and those out of work