AP Govt Unit 7

Vocabulary

Attitudes

An individual’s propensity to perceive, interpret, or act toward a particular object in a particular way

Communism

a belief that the state owns property in common for all people and a single political party that represents the working classes controls the government

Conservativism

a belief in private property rights and free enterprise

General Election

election in which voters elect officeholders

Intensity

a measure of how strongly an individual holds a particular opinion

Liberalism

a belief that government can bring about justice and equality of opportunity

Libertarianism

a belief in limiting government to such vital activities as national defense while fostering individual liberty; unlike conservatives, libertarians oppose all government regulation, even of personal morality

Manifest opinion

a widely shared and consciously held view, such as support for apportion rights or for homeland security

Margin of error

the range of percentage points in which the sample accurately reflects the population

Political Ideology

a constant pattern of ideas or beliefs about political values and the role of government, including how it should work and how it actually does work

Political socialization

The process by which we develop our attitudes, values, and beliefs

Public opinion

the distribution of individual preferences for or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population

Random sample

a sample (small portion of the population) in which every individual has a known and equal chance of being selected

Selective exposure

individuals choosing to access media with which they agree or avoiding media with which they disagree

Social capital

the value of social contacts, associations, and networks individuals form which can foster trust, coordination, and cooperation

Social conservative

focuses less on economics and more on morality and lifestyle

Socialism

a governmental system where some of the means of production are controlled by the state and where the state provides key human welfare services like healthcare and old age assistance; allows for free markets in other activities

Turnout

the proportion of the voting-age population that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote

Universe/population

the group of people whose preferences we try to measure by taking a sample; also called population

Voter registration

a system designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents, including proof of residency

horse race

a close contest, by extension, any contest in which the focus is on who is ahead and by how much rather than on substantive differences between the candidates

investigative journalism

the use of detective-like reporting methods to unearth scandals

mass media

means of communication that reach the public, including newspapers and magazines, radio, television (broadcast, cable, and satellite), films, recordings, books, and electronic communication

news media

media that emphasize the news

policy agenda

the list of subjects or problems to which government officials are paying some serious attention at any given time

trial balloons

information leaked to the media to see what the political reaction will be