AP Government: Politics and Polls

Liberal

Left, democratic, blue states

Conservative

Right, republican, red states

Liberal

Higher taxes, more business and environmental regulations, legalize gay marriage, pro-choice

Conservative

Lower taxes, remove gov. regulations, pro-life

Moderates/Independents

Mix of Liberal and Conservative view points

Greens

Environmental focus, more government spending

Libertarians

Less government everywhere

Majority rule

Democracy functions through an idea where only 51% or more can win

Minority rule

Those not in the majority should be protected

Equality

Every person is treated the same under the law

Private property

What is yours is yours under the law

Individual Freedom

Every person is guaranteed certain civil liberties and protected from infringement of them

Compromise

Different people/interests can combine to form a policy that addresses all needs

Limited government

The gov. is restricted through the will of the people and the law

Political Socialization

Process by which one develops political opinions

Family

Biggest influence on one's political socialization, 60% of children carry their parents views

School

Teaches "American Values" of democracy, equality, love of country, etc., more years of education makes you more liberal

Media

Informs public about issues, sets the "political agenda", biased

Religion

More often people go to church = More likely to vote

Race/Ethnicity

Shapes out basic understanding of political events based on historical and modern day experiences.

White Americans

Most conservative (race)

Asian Americans

Slightly more conservative (race)

Latinos

Slightly more liberal than others (race)

African Americans

Most reliable Democratic voters since 1960s (race)

Gender Gap

Women typically more liberal, men more conservative

Younger

More liberal, less likely to vote (age)

Older

More conservative, more likely to vote (age)

West Coast, urban

More liberal (geography)

South, Rural

More conservative (geography)

Recent events

Create positive and negative voter attitudes

Examples:

Watergate - mistrust in government

9/11 - increased patriotism

Public Opinion

How people think or feel about certain issues/candidates

Straw Poll

Unscientific, participant dependent surveys to gauge political opinion

Sample

Subset of population selected to predict opinion of whole group

Timing

Polls are most accurate right before the election

Self Selection

Survey by card mail in (only a small number would respond)

Phrasing of Questions

Surveys try and ask "neutral" questions

Random Sampling

Every person in group has same chance of being selected

Stratified Sampling

Modified random sample: specifically chosen groups that represent group accurately

Contacting Respondents

Random digit dialing is the best way to do this

Push Polls

FAKE polls, just there to hurt the opposing candidate/side

Tracking Polls

Daily poll to measure impact of short therm campaign developments

Exit Poll

Polls conducted as voters leave, measures actual voters, used to predict results

Margin of Error

• or - % points that show inherent inaccuracy of polling (can never be 0)

Sampling Error

Accuracy depends on quality of sample drawn

Limited Respondent opinions

Yes or no questions can't really measure passion of opinion

Lack of respondent knowledge

Polls don't really work with issues when people surveyed don't know about them

High efficacy

Belief that you can influence government and that your vote matters (more likely to participate)

Low efficacy

Belief that you won't have any impact (unlikely to participate)

Voting

America's #1 most common form of political expression

Public protest

Unconventional form of political expression

Suffrage

The right to vote

15th Amendment

"Elimination" of race disqualifications

19th Amendment

Gave women the right to vote

24th Amendment

Elimination of poll taxes

Civil Rights Act

No more grandfather clauses and literary tests

26th Amendment

Lowers voting age to 18

23rd Amendment

DC can vote in Presidential Elections

entrance polls

Public opinion surveys taken before voters cast their ballots

Sample Quota

A scientific method of selection in which pollsters structure a sample so that it is representative of the characteristics of the target population.