Public Opinion Final

Other causes of partisanship

• group identities

• generational effects

The Urban/Rural Divide

• fosters greivance politics

• 94% of job growth since 2000 has occurred in urban countries

• 47% of net job loss in rural countries

• urban areas have been the place for the “knowledge economy”

Life Cycle Effects

Changes that occur as one moves through life

Period Effects

• watergate and Vietnam made citizens less trusting of government

• Political events can shape political attitudes

• Must be intense and long term

Generational effect

• interaction of period effect and life cycle effect

• an event or experience that leaves an impression

• while individual change is rare, societal change is common

Post-materialism

• interesting theory of value change has been offered by Ronald Inglehart

  • Western societies have changed as economics stabilized

    • more social issues

  • Most tolerant of a diverse society

American dream

• the land of opportunity for immigrants

• Expanding frontier

• Individualism, self-reliance, individual responsibility

Political Tolerance

• Acceptance of groups, opinions, and practices one does not like

• In a pluralistic society, tolerance is necessary

  • disagreement is inevitable

• elites exacerbate tensions

Period of Intolerance

• red scare

• vietnam/Iraq protestors

• hate speech on college campuses

• Mosque near 9/11

• Trump

Conservative Theory of Political Tolerance

• belief the public will be intolerant

• need tolerant elite to rule

Democratic Elitism

• tolerant elite will abide by democratic norms

Predictions of Tolerance

• pluralistic intolerance

• education

• gender

• ideology/Party

• Urban/Rural

• Religiosity

• Age

Foreign Policy Media Attention

• only focuses on foreign affairs when highly impactful

Foreign Policy Views

• isolationism

  • points to Vietnam / Iraq II

• Internationalism

  • WWII

  • Munich doctrine

  • Containment

  • 9/11

Valence Issues

• deal with outcomes

  • ex: goog economy, low crime

    • vote for politicians who produce these outcomes

Positional Issues

• Come from different positions

  • voting for politicians who positions are closest to own

1. ideological mood

the prevailing emotional climate or sentiment associated with a particular ideology or political stance. It's a broader term than just emotions, encompassing the collective feeling, atmosphere, and mindset surrounding a group or political position.

social capital

the value derived from social networks and relationships, essentially the "connections" people have that enable them to achieve goals and access resources.

1. Benevolent leader hypothesis

a ruler, even an authoritarian one, can be perceived as beneficial to the public if they prioritize the overall well-being of the population, rather than solely their own interests

Affective polarization

to the phenomenon where individuals develop stronger positive feelings toward their own political group or party and stronger negative feelings toward opposing groups or parties.

Munich doctrine

often seen as a prime example of appeasement, a policy of making concessions to an aggressor in the hope of avoiding conflict. I

signed in September 1938, where Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France agreed to allow Germany to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia.

Tabula rasa

Blank slate

a government approach that disregards past practices or policies, starting anew with a fresh perspective. 

government could lead to more effective and innovative solutions to societal problems. 

hidden welfare state

a cluster of social welfare programs delivered through the tax system, rather than directly through government spending, often benefiting wealthier individuals and corporations