american political ideologies and beliefs

ap gov

political party

has to run candidates to try and influence policy for their party’s benefit

political culture

the shared set of values, beliefs, and attitudes that a society holds defining how they view their political system.

Alexis de Tocqueville

• wrote “democracy in America”

• found that America is very religious

• America is a nation of joiners

political ideology

A specific set of beliefs about the rule of the government and how those beliefs should be applied and protected by the government

Americans can have drastically different political ideologies and yet share a common political culture

textbook definition:

• a party’s philosophy about the proper role of the government and its set of positions on major issues

Low political efficacy

refers to a citizen's belief that they cannot understand or influence political processes

leads to reduced civic participation

external efficacy

belief that government officials and institutions are responsive to citizens' demands and that the political system will properly consider the public's needs

• belief that we can change things

• people come together

• when you vote, it matters

internal efficacy

the internal belief that one has the skills to understand politics and make a difference.

• knowledge/understanding of government and systems

mistrust

is often a consequence of low efficacy

political party

many different political ideologies contained within

coalitions

in order to win a party election, parties form coalitions

Parties form coalitions by creating a temporary, strategic alliance of two or more independent political groups to work together for a common purpose, such as winning elections, forming a government, or pushing specific legislation.

Big tent party

A "big tent" party is a political party that seeks to attract a broad, diverse range of voters and factions, rather than focusing on a narrow, specific ideology. These parties, often described as "catch-all" parties, aim to represent a wide spectrum of public opinion

Example:

New Deal Coalition: brought together groups that had never before been together

what makes a party a party?

a party runs candidates

political ideologies

political socilization

the process by which we gain our political identity

direct socialization

when family members tell you their political ideology (coversation)

indirect socilization

• overhear political conversation between family members

• reading favial expressions when a political candidate/ politician comes on screen

• nonverbal communication

what is the most important agent of political socilization

family

list all the agents of political socilization

1. family

2. school

3. religion

4. peers

5. gender and ethnicity

6. media

gender gap

women are more likely to be liberal and men are more likely to be conservative

party identification

• an individual’s party attachment to a political party

conservatism

an ideology favoring more control of social behavior, fewer regulations on businesses, and less government interference in the econogy

liberalism

an ideology favoring less government control over social behavior and more greater regulation of business and of the economy

libertarianism

an ideology favoring very little government regulation and intervention beyond protecting private and individual liberty

partisanship

less interested in fostering cooperation than they are in criticizing the ideological beliefs of their opponents

define demographics

statistical characteristics of a population

• age

• race/ethnicity

• gender

• education

• socioeconomic status

who can’t vote?

• felons

• non citizens

• under 18

• not registered

• certain territories

what factors impact voting intensity?

saliency