AP Government Unit 4 Terms

Individualism

the belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and for the decisions they make

Political Culture

the dominant set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and government

Laissez-faire

an economic system in which govt intrudes as little as possible in the economic transactions among citizens and businesses

Rule of Law

the principle that no one, including public officials, is above the law

Political Socialization

the process by which people learn about their government and acquire the beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors associated with good citizenship

Political Ideology

an individual’s coherent set of beliefs about government and politics

Generational Effect

derive from common experiences shared by a portion of the population that came of age at the same time

Life-Cycle Effect

describe the changes in one person's life as they age, marry, have children, buy a home, or retire (the youngest Americans tend to be more liberal but less politically active than older Americans)

Globalization

the increasing interconnectedness of people, businesses, and countries throughout the world

Outsourcing

when a company moves its business to a place where labor costs are cheaper or production is more efficient because workers work longer hours

Libertarian

an ideology that opposes government intervention, including personal liberties, or regulations

Populist

an ideological group that favors farmers and workers, more Protestant, live in the South or Midwest

Progressive

an ideological groups that is far left leaning reformers today [although their roots are in the Republican Party from 1900 to 1920] who believe the government should regulate business and protect the rights of Americans, especially minority groups

Conservative

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

Liberal

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

Benchmark Poll

initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared

Tracking Poll

a type of poll repeated periodically with the same group of people to check and measure changes of opinion or knowledge

Exit Polls

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

Random Sample

pollsters attempt to obtain data where everyone must have an equal chance of selection to get an accurate sample

Focus Group

groups are a qualitative research method involving a small group of people discussing a specific topic or concept in a moderated, interactive setting to gather insights and opinions

Horse-race Journalism

news coverage in which elections are reported as if the most important aspect is which candidate is in the lead

Opinion Polls

an assessment of the viewpoints obtained by questioning a representative sample

Bandwagon Effect

a shift of support to a candidate or position holding the lead in public opinion polls and therefore believe to be endorse by many people