ap gov unit 4 vocab

american individualism

belief in self reliance and limited government

core beliefs

fundamental ideals shaping political culture (liberty, equality, democracy)

political efficacy

belief that ones actions influence the government

civic organizations

groups promoting community and political involvement

family values

political/social beliefs passed through family

globalization of us values

spread of american culture and ideas abroad

peers

friends influencing political attitudes

power of media

media shaping public opinion and awareness

religious organizations

faith groups influencing beliefs and values

school’s impact

education shaping civic knowledge and political views

generational effect

effects affecting entire age group's’ beliefs

life cycle effect

changes in views as people age

generation gap

differences in beliefs between younger and older people

gender gap

political differences between men and women

ethnic groups

cultural background influencing political attitudes

presidential coattails

when a popular president boosts support for their party

benchmark/tracking polls

early and repeated polls to measure support

exit polls

surveys of voters after leaving polls

focus groups

small discussions used to test opinions

margin of error

amount poll results could be off

opinion polls

surveys measuring public views

question bias

wording of questions shaping responses

random sampling

selecting people at random to represent population

scientific polling

polling with reliable, unbiased methods

trial balloons

testing public reaction with an idea or proposal

party platforms

official stances of a political party

policy debates

arguments over government decisions

conservative

favors tradition, limited government, free markets

democrat beliefs

favor active government, equality, social programs

gop

“grand old party,” another name for republicans

liberal/progressive

favor change, government action, expanded rights

litmus test issues

single issues used to determine candidate support

republican beliefs

favor small government, lower taxes, individual freedom

assimilation

blending into dominant culture

dream act 2017

proposal giving legal status to undocumented youth

multiculturalism

valuing multiple cultural traditions

national language movement

push to make english the official language

work opportunity act 1996

welfare reform law promoting work requirements

conservatives and the economy

low taxes, deregulation, free markets

free trade policies

trade without tariffs or restrictions

inheritance tax

tax on inherited wealth

liberals and the economy

regulation, higher taxes on wealthy, social programs

libertarians and the economy

favor minimal government involvement

minimum wage

lowest legal hourly pay for workers

tariff policies

taxes on imports to protect domestic industries

conservative ideologies and less government

prefer fewer regulations on personal and social issues

liberals and personal privacy

favor protecting privacy rights, including reproductive freedom

vouchers

government funding for parents to send kids to private schools