Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

civil society

comprised of non-political organizations that operate in public, separate from government, businesses, private life; these bodies unite communities and involve society beyond political participation

ex: religious organizations, neighborhood clubs or others that work toward common goals of their people

democracy restricting civil society

____ does this to ____ by:

• limiting violence for public safety

• banning discrimination, abuse, hate of minoritized groups

• stopping violations of others’ civil rights

• limiting power of the elite

• protect fair elections and national security

civil society strengthening democracy

____ does this to ____ by:

• giving space for citizens to express views

• offering opportunity to participate in governmental processes

• keeping state accountable in watching government’s actions

individualism

idea that encourages each person to shape their life and future based on their choices as well as respect common good and protect public interest

• core value that is interpreted differently by different people

equality of opportunity

idea that everyone has an equal chance

• core value that is interpreted differently by different people

rule of law

idea everyone—including people in power—must follow the same rules that govern us all

• core value that is interpreted differently by different people

political ideology

set of beliefs about public policy and politics that lays the foundation for analyzing government and public policy

• includes political, economic, social issues

• Liberal, Libertarian, Conservative, Populist

political socialization

process in which citizens develop their sense of political identity as they become more aware of politics. impacted by:

• globalization, family, media, peers, schools, religious and civic institutions, geography

• intersection of demographics, social change, leaders, interest groups

• major political events

• generational effects (experiences) and life cycle effects (experiences)

political legitimacy

a belief in the integrity of a political system and its processes like elections

political efficacy

individuals’ view on whether or not their participation in government (e.g. voting) counts

public opinion

openly stated attitudes and ideas that a significant population hold about the government and politics

characterized by:

• how it is communicated, party, diversity, significant numbers (enough for politicians to pay attention)

polling

the most reliable form of measuring public opinion; political parties, interest groups and mass media are interested

• institutions include: Quinnipiac University, Pew Research Center, Siena, Gallup

opinion poll

scientific poll that measures public opinion on different issues

benchmark poll

scientific poll that gives baseline views on different issues

tracking poll

scientific poll that follows how opinion of a candidate change throughout their campaign

exit polls

collect data about why people voted how they did

focus groups

~10-40 participants gathered to talk about the candidates

bandwagon effect

shifting support to a candidate or position who holds a lead in the polls; people want to support the winner

accuracy of polls

• margin of error should be ±3%

• reduce bias with neutral framing of questions

• accurate, clear reporting and conclusions that are supported by the data

social desirability bias

voters tell pollsters what they think the pollsters want to hear

• ex: they say they will do the right thing and vote when they do not plan to

• leads to less accurate polling data

social media opinions

considered “modern day confessional” but tends to push the most extreme ideologies, and it not as reliable because it’s ridden with sarcasm and can be difficult to quantify

undecideds breaking late

many “shy Trump voters” were undecideds who broke late in the election

• also did not respond to polls: non-response bias

limited government

idea that the government’s power is restricted in a democracy by the law and will of the people

• core value that is interpreted differently by different people

free enterprise

idea that Americans have the right to own private property and freely compete in open markets with very little government enterprise

• core value that is interpreted differently by different people