Political Socialization, Culture and Ideology

Terms + Definitions

Political Culture

The shared set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and government.

Individualism

The belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and for the decisions they make

Laissez Faire Capitalism

Pure Capitalism: the government intrudes as little as possible and only helps enforce mutually beneficial transactions between firms

Rule of Law

The principle rule that no one, including public officials, is above the law

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of people, businesses, and countries around the world

Life Cycle Effect

The impact of a person’s age and stage in life on their political views

Generational Effect

The impact of historical events experienced by a generation upon their political views

Political Ideology

An individual’s coherent set of beliefs about government and politics

Political Socialization

The experiences and factors that shape our political values, attitudes, and behaviors

Public Opinion

The sum of individual attitudes about government, policies, and issues

Focus Group

A small group of individuals assembled for a conversation about specific issues

Sample

A group of individuals from a larger population used to measure

Random Selection

A method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that does not over or underrepresent any group of the population

Representative Sample

A sample that reflects the demographics of the population

Scientific Poll

A representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size using neutral language (unbiased questioning mechanisms)

Sampling Error

The margin of error in a poll, which usually is calculated to plus or minus three percentage points

Exit Poll

A survey conducted outside a polling place in which individuals are asked who or what they just voted for and why

Benchmark Poll

A survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign in order to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues are important to voters

Tracking Poll

A survey determining the level of support for a candidate or an issue throughout a campaign

Right

Something fundamental to which all have access

Privilege

Something subject to political process

Party Ideology

A party’s philosophy about the proper role of government and its consistent set of positions on major issues

Internal Efficacy

The belief that one can understand and therefore participate in politics

External Efficacy

That the government will respond to one’s demands (ie. sense of political responsiveness)

Equality of Opportunity

When agents have a chance to attain the same goal(s) without the hindrance of the same obstacles (ie. All Americans should have the chance to attain a college degree without the hindrance of racial discrimination)