apgovpol 4th set

Conservative

Believe in following tradition and having reverence for authorities, less taxation and less government spending

Free enterprise

Government should take a laissez-faire (let it be) approach and an "invisible hand"- guided by the interaction of producers and consumers - would regulate over time

Globalization

Process of expanding and increasing world economy and political culture

Ideology

Comprehensive and mutually consistent set of ideas

Individualism

A belief in the fundamental worth and importance of the individual

Liberal

Being open to allowing government to flexibly expand beyond established constraints

Libertarian

Oppose government intervention or regulation, conservative on economy and liberal on social issues

Lifecycle effects

Variety of physical, social, and psychological changes that people go through as they age

Limited government

Govt kept under control by law, checks and balances, and separation of powers

Moderate

Middle of the spectrum, some conservative beliefs and some liberal beliefs

Party identification

Self-identifying with a party, acknowledging their membership or openly referring to themselves as members of their chosen party

Political socialization

The process by which one develops political beliefs

Populist

Generally attend a Protestant church and follow fundamental Christian ideas with a strict moral code

Progressive

Criticize traditional political establishments that have too much power in government and business, wealthy should pay more taxes

Rule of law

The principle of a government that establishes laws that apply equally to all members of society and prevents the rule and whims of leaders who see themselves as above the law

Saliency

Importance

Valence issues

Issues that are shared by people with a variety of ideologies

Wedge issues

Issues that sharply divide the public

Approval rating

Gauged by pollsters to determine president's job performance

Bandwagon effect

A shift of support to a candidate/position hold the lead in public opinion polls

Benchmark polls

First type of poll used in an election to gather general information about people's views and concerns before any candidates declare intentions to run

Entrance polls

Conducted outside the polling place on Election Day to predict the outcome of the election by asking who they intend to support

Exit polls

Conducted outside the polling place on Election Day to predict the outcome of the election by asking how the voters voted

Focus group

Small groups of citizens (10-40) to hold conversations about issues or candidates

Margin of error

Amount allowed for cases of miscalculation

Push polling

Telephone poll with ulterior motive, offer positive on candidate and negative on opponent

Random-digit dialing

Computer randomly calls possible numbers in a given area until enough people respond to establish a representative sample

Random sample

Every member of the universe must have an equal chance of selection into the sample

Representative sample

Group of people meant to represent the larger group in question a.k.a. universe

Sampling error

Measure results in two or more polls to determine difference between poll results

Stratification

Making sure demographic groups are properly represented in a sample

Tracking polls

Ask people the same or similar questions over time to track public opinion

Universe

Group of people meant to represent the larger group in question

Weighting

Making sure demographic groups are properly represented in a sample