Political Science: Public Opinion, Ideologies, and Participation

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering public opinion, political ideologies, socialization, the RAS model, survey sampling techniques, and forms of political participation.

Public Opinion

Citizens attitudes towards political issues, leaders, institutions, and events

Ideology

System of ideas that display our current society, the ideas convey where we should go & how to get there

Liberal

Supporter of reform, gov intervention in the economy, expansion of federal services, "rational individual",

Conservative

Those who generally support the social& economic "status quo" and are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulas & economic arrangements, resistant to change, less optimistic

Libertarian

Those who emphasize freedom & believe in voluntary association with small governments.

Socialist

Those who believe in social ownership, strong government, free markets, and reduction in economic inequality

Political socialization

The process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.

RAS model

Receive, Accept, Sample

Receive Stage

Individuals receive information from various sources

Accept Stage

Individuals assess information through the lens of their own political views

Sample Stage

individuals select the most recent information when forming their opinion

Heuristics

An information shortcut that voters use to make their decisions

Simple Random Sample

Equal probability of being selected as a respondent

Random Digit Dialing

the use of telephone numbers randomly generated by computer to select potential survey respondents

Traditional Political Participation

Activities designed to influence government.

Traditional Political Participation Examples

Voting and face-to-face activities such as protesting or volunteering for a campaign.

Digital Political Participation

Activities designed to influence politics using the Internet.