APGOV UNIT 4 TERMS

Political Culture

A shared set of beliefs and values about government and politics

Individualism

A belief in the importance of individual rights

Free Enterprise (Laissez-Faire)

An economic system where the government plays a minimal role

Rule of Law

The principle that all persons, institutions, and entities are accountable to laws that are: Publicly promulgated. Equally enforced

Limited Government

The idea that government power should be restricted to protect individual rights

Political Socialization

The process by which people develop their political attitudes

Political Ideology

A set of beliefs about the role of government and public policy

Liberalism

A political ideology favoring government action to improve the welfare of individuals and support civil rights

Conservatism

A political ideology favoring limited government intervention

Libertarianism

A political philosophy advocating minimal government in all areas of life

Political Spectrum

A system for classifying different political positions on one or more dimensions

Demographics

Statistical data about populations

Public Opinion

The distribution of the population's beliefs about politics and policy issues

Poll

A method of measuring public opinion by asking questions of a random sample

Random Sample

A sampling method where every individual has an equal chance of being selected

Sampling Error

The margin of error in a poll

Margin of Error

A measure of the uncertainty in polling results

Political Efficacy

The belief that one's political participation makes a difference

Political Participation

Actions taken by citizens to influence government and policy

Voter Turnout

The percentage of eligible voters who actually vote in an election

Rational-Choice Voting

Voting based on a citizen's individual interest and logical evaluation of candidates

Retrospective Voting

Voting based on past performance of a candidate or party

Prospective Voting

Voting based on predictions of how a candidate will perform in the future

Party-Line Voting

Voting for candidates of one political party across the ballot

Political Socialization Agents

People, groups, institutions that influence political attitudes