05. Political Ideologies and Beliefs

Individualism

Individualism

Belief in the fundamental value, the worth, of each person and his/her ideas

Limited government

Belief that government itself is bounded, cannot do whatever it pleases -- is limited to what the people allow it to do

Rule of law

Belief that the men and women who make up "the government" are themselves obligated to FOLLOW the law, are not "above" the law

equality of opportunity

Belief that individuals should all have the same opportunities in life -- but after that, as free persons, they should be free to rise or fall, to succeed or fail, based on their merit

Free enterprise

Belief that in economic/financial matters, people should be free to create, buy, and sell whatever they like, largely free of government interference

Public opinion

What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time

Demographics

the makeup of a population with respect to age, race, gender, and other such group characteristics

Census

The official count of each state's population, conducted every 10 years by the U.S. government -- helps government to know who "the people" are, and how they're changing

Political socialization

The process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions -- biggest influences (in order:

1. Family

2. Media

3. Schools

Political ideology

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose -- a person's foundational beliefs about life, which give rise to their specific political policy beliefs

Liberal

A person who generally believes the government should take an active role in the economy and in social programs, but that the government should not dictate individual social behavior -- typically associated with the Democratic Party

Conservative

A person who believes government power, particularly in the economy, should be limited in order to maximize individual freedom, but who favors government action in some social matters -- typically associated with the Republican Party

Libertarian

A person who believes the government should be as small as possible, and interfere with people's lives as little as possible

Polls

A survey of public opinion

Survey

a technique for finding out the self-reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group

Focus group

A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues

Sample

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole

Random sampling

The key technique employed by 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 -- the more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results -- the lower the number, the more accurate the poll -- typical sampling error is +/-3%

Benchmark polls

a long, detailed survey of voter opinion designed to help political candidates craft their campaigns -- usually done BEFORE a candidate has formally declared him/herself

Tracking polls

Continuous surveys that enable a campaign to chart its daily rise or fall in support -- helps candidates know if changes are needed in their campaigns

Exit polls

Polls conducted as voters leave selected polling places on Election Day -- helps news outlets to predict who will win, even before polling stations close

Bandwagon effect

A shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner

Supply-side economics

An economic theory that holds the sharply cutting taxes will increase people's motivation to work, save, and invest -- greater investments will lead to more jobs, a more productive economy, and more tax revenues for the government

Keynesian economics

Economic theory stating that during economic slumps, government should increase taxes and increase spending, in order to create jobs -- this will make sure people have money to spend, and when they spend it, this will in turn boost businesses

Proportional tax

A tax by which the government takes the same share of income from everyone, rich and poor alike -- a.k.a. the flat tax

Progressive tax

A tax graduated so that people with higher incomes pay larger fraction of their income than people with lower incomes