AP U.S Gov. Unit 2 Political Behavior Vocab

Vocabulary from AP United Sates Government Unit 2: Political Behavior

Census

This is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating information about the members of a given population, which are then usually displayed through statistics.

Civil Disobedience

This is the active, professed, and public refusal to obey certain laws or government commands, designed to highlight injustices and force legal or policy change

Demography

The study of statistics such as births, deaths, income, or the incidence of disease, which illustrate the changing structure of human populations.

Exit Poll

A poll of people leaving a polling place, asking how they voted.

Generational Effect

This is a long-lasting, shared impact of historical, cultural, or social events on a specific age cohort, shaping their political, social, and behavioral views for life. A key example is how individuals coming of age during the Great Depression often remained politically liberal or loyal to the Democratic party, as seen in the 1930s-40s.

Globalization

This is the accelerating, interconnected movement of goods, services, capital, technology, and culture across national borders, driven by free trade and technological advances. It drives economic growth, lowers prices, and increases cultural exchange, yet often causes job displacement, income inequality, and vulnerability to global crises.

American Political Culture

This is defined by a shared set of core values—individualism, liberty, equality of opportunity, free enterprise, and the rule of law—that shape, limit, and guide government action and citizen behavior. It emphasizes limited government, civic duty, and a belief that, through hard work and self-reliance, individuals can achieve success.

Political Ideology

This is a structured set of beliefs, ideals, and principles that shape how individuals or groups perceive the role of government, allocate power, and determine how society should function. Ranging from liberalism to conservatism, these ideologies guide political decision-making, influence policy, and define the goals for societal organization.

Political Participation

This refers to voluntary actions taken by citizens to influence government, policies, and the selection of public officials, ranging from voting and campaigning to protesting and contacting representatives. It is vital for democracy, encompassing both conventional (voting, lobbying) and unconventional (demonstrations, boycotts) methods, with digital technology expanding these opportunities.

Political Socialization

The lifelong process by which individuals acquire their political beliefs, values, and ideologies. It is primarily influenced by your family, schools, peers, media, and religion.

Public Opinion

This represents the collective attitudes, beliefs, and views of a society regarding specific issues, events, or political figures. Measured primarily through scientific polling, it acts as a critical, often influential, guide for policymakers, shaping government decisions and political campaigns. It is heavily shaped by media, interest groups, and political ideologie

Scientific Poll

This is a research method that uses probability theory, random sampling, and unbiased question design to accurately measure the opinions of a large population by surveying a smaller, representative subset. These polls minimize bias and calculate a specific margin of error.

Tracking Poll

This is a research method that continuously surveys a target population over time to measure shifts in attitudes or behaviors, most commonly used in political campaigns to track daily, weekly, or monthly trends. These polls often use rolling averages to smooth out daily volatility, providing a clearer picture of unfolding events or campaign change

Random Digit Dialing

This is a telephone polling technique where a computer generates and dials numbers at random, including both listed and unlisted numbers. The goal is to create a random sample of the population. It is no longer as effective since people don’t answer calls from unknown numbers.

Random Sampling

It is the method of selecting participants where every single person in the entire population has an equal chance of being chosen.

Reapportionment

This is the process of reallocating the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the states based on population changes. This happens every 10 years following the release of the official U.S. Census data. If a state’s population grows significantly (like Texas or Florida), it may gain seats. If a state’s population shrinks or grows slower than the rest of the country (like New York or Ohio), it may lose seats.

Representative Sampling

This is a small, carefully selected subset of a larger population that accurately mirrors the key characteristics—such as demographics, behaviors, or attitudes—of the whole group. The method used to find this population is random sampling.

Sampling Error

This is the statistical calculation of how much the results of a poll might differ from the actual "true" opinion of the total population. The size of your sample group directly dictates how large your error will be. As you talk to more people, your "window" of uncertainty shrinks.

Life Cycle Effect

This is the theory that a person’s political views and priorities change as they grow older and enter different stages of life.

• Young Adulthood: Focus is often on social issues, college affordability, climate change, or entry-level job markets. Political engagement is typically lower in this stage.

• Middle Age: As people buy homes and raise families, they often become more concerned with property taxes, school funding, and the economy. This is often where people become more "stable" in their party identification.

• Old Age (Seniors): Priorities shift heavily toward protecting Social Security and Medicare. This demographic has the highest voter turnout, making their life cycle priorities very influential in Washington.

Party Ideology

This refers to the basic set of beliefs and values about the role of government that a political party and its members hold.

Conservatism

A political ideology that generally favors a limited role for the federal government, individual responsibility, traditional social values, and a strong national defense.

• believe that the "invisible hand" of the free market is the best way to organize the economy. (in favor of low taxes, fewer regulations on businesses)

• Religious freedom

• Pro-Life

• Law and Order (Strong support for police, strict sentencing, and the Second Amendment (right to bear arms)

Liberalism

This ideology favors a more active role for the government in regulating the economy and providing social services to promote equality.

• Progressive Taxation: belief that those with higher incomes should pay a higher percentage in taxes to fund public services.

• Gov regulation: Support for rules that protect consumers, the environment, and workers' rights (e.g., minimum wage laws, the EPA).

• Social Safety Net: Strong support for government-funded programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

• Keynesian Economics: The theory that the government should stimulate the economy during recessions through increased spending.

• Social liberty: LGBTQ+ marriage equality, pro-choice, protection of rights of the accused.

• Separation of church and state

• Gun control

Mixed Economy

is an economic system that combines elements of both capitalism (market economy) and socialism (command economy).

• Market elements: Most resources are owned by individuals and private businesses. Supply and demand determine prices, and competition drives innovation

• Command elements: The government intervenes to provide public goods (like roads and national defense), regulate industries for safety, and provide a social safety net (like Social Security).

Fiscal Policy

This refers to the use of the federal government's taxing and spending powers to influence the economy. It is determined by Congress and the President through the federal budget. The government can change taxation rates and the inject money into the economy by spending on infrastructure, defense, social programs, etc.

Two different “strategies” of this policy:’

• Keynesian: (liberal view) Argues that the government should actively "prime the pump" during a recession by spending money, even if it creates a deficit. Focuses on increasing demand.

• Supply-Side / Trickle Down: Argues that the government should cut taxes and reduce regulations to encourage businesses to produce more. Focuses on increasing supply (often called "Reaganomics").

Monetary Policy

This is the process by which the government manages the economy by influencing the money supply and interest rates. It is managed by the federal reserve, which is an independent regulatory agency. Their goal is to keep inflation low (2%). The federal reserve controls interest rates and money supply to manage economic stability.

Medicare

It is a federal program that provides health insurance primarily to Americans aged 65 and older, as well as to some younger people with disabilities.

Medicaid

This is designed to provide health insurance to individuals and families with low income and limited resources.