Demographics
the characteristics of a population with respect to age, race, and gender.
Political culture
commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how government should operate
Political socialization
The process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.
Core values
the important principles that will guide decisions and actions in the company
Individualism
giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications
Equality of opportunity
the idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life
Free enterprise
Economic system in which individuals and businesses are allowed to compete for profit with a minimum of government interference
Rule of law
principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern
Scientific polling
method of polling that provides a fairly precise reading of public opinion by using random sampling
Public opinion polls
interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population
Opinion polls
A method of systematically questioning a small, selected sample of respondents who are deemed representative of the total population.
Benchmark polls
initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared
Tracking polls
continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart a candidate's daily rise or fall in support
Entrance polls
voters asked about which candidate they are going to vote for and why before walking into a caucus
Push polls
polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate
Exit polls
Polls conducted as voters leave selected polling places on Election Day.
Polling universe
the set of people that a particular poll is meant to represent
Random sample
a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion around
Representative sample
A sample that reflects the characteristics of the population from which it is drawn; more than 1,000
Mass survey
a way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population
Focus group
A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues.
Sampling error
the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time
Reliability of data
the extent to which an experiment, test, or measuring procedure yields the same results on repeated trials
Political ideologies
sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics
Political spectrum
range of political views
Liberal ideology
A political orientation that favors a more assertive role in the redistribution of economic resources, but emphasizes individual freedom on a range of social issues.
Conservative ideology
An ideology that advocates minimal regulation of the economy and decreased emphasis on income redistribution.
Moderate
Person whose views are between conservative and liberal and may include some of both ideologies
Political polarization
The process by which the public opinion divides and goes to the extremes.
Democratic Party
One of the two major U.S political party;founded in 1828 by Andrew Jackson to support a decentralized government and state's rights
Republican Party
1854 - anti-slavery Whigs and Democrats, Free Soilers and reformers from the Northwest met and formed party in order to keep slavery out of the territories
Libertarian ideology
An ideology that seeks even more limited government in all facets of society than that promoted by conservatives.
Keynesian economic policies
The idea that government can smooth out the ups and downs of the free-market economy by stimulating the economy when private business investment is low and cooling down the economy when excessive investment is creating inflation
Supply-side economic policies
Supply-siders believe that lowering taxes on businesses and individuals will increase the incentive to work, save, and invest, leading to economic growth. They also believe that reducing government regulations will allow businesses to operate more efficiently, leading to increased productivity and economic growth.
Monetary policy
Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.
Fiscal policy
Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending.
Federal Reserve Board
an independent agency of the federal government established in 1913 to regulate the nation's banking and financial industry