APGOV Unit 4

individualism, equality of opportunity, free enterprise, rule of law, limited government

5 core views that all Americans share

individualism

self reliance and independence

equality of opportunity

every american, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, religion, etc. deserves equal footing to go after life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

free enterprise

laissez-faire economics; as little government intervention in the economy as possible

rule of law

every citizen is equal under the law and no one has special privileges

limited government

a government whose limits are well-defined and is restrained through the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances

conservative

smaller government, conservative or liberal?

liberal

Reforms to make society more just and equitable, conservative or liberal?

self-centered individualism (conservative)

interests of the individual above the interests of society (conservative or liberal?)

enlightened individualism (liberal)

interests of society above the interests of the individual (conservative or liberal?)

meritocracy

everyone rises in America based on their own toil and sweat

liberal

meritocracy exists, but not all groups start the race in the same place, conservative or liberal?

conservative

government out of affairs and businesses, the free market determines what is best; conservative or liberal?

liberal

government should intervene with appropriate regulations to ensure safety and equality in workplaces, conservative or liberal?

conservative

strong and defined boundaries of federalism with less government intervention in people’s lives, conservative or liberal?

liberal

government intervention in society for the sake of the greater good, conservative or liberal?

political socialization

process by which we form our political opinions

family, schools, peers, media, civic/religious organizations

5 ways political socialization occurs

globalization

increased interconnectedness of the world from economic partnerships

conservative

silent generation (before 1945), conservative or liberal?

conservative

baby boomers, conservative or liberal?

liberal

Generation X (<1980), conservative or liberal?

liberal

Millennials (<1996), conservative or liberal?

life cycle effects

whatever stage of life you are in will influence what political views you have

political events

any event deemed significant in the light of our nation

opinion poll

evaluates public’s opinion on certain topics or feelings on a candidates or policies

benchmark poll

poll taken at the beginning of a candidate’s run, and can be compared with future polls to see how the candidate is doing

tracking poll

a poll conducted over time with the same group of people gives information about how the group feels about an issue

entrant/exit polls

polls conducted at voting sites asking people how they voted

sampling error

there is always a chance that the sample will not exactly represent the general population

mass survey

pollsters create a poll that can be given to as many people as possible, measures quantitative data

focus group

measures the opinion of a small group of people; measures qualitative data

social desirability bias

When people fill out surveys give socially desirable answers even if they don’t agree or follow through with it

non-response bias

certain groups are more likely to respond to public opinion polls than others

political ideology

interlocking set of ideas that form the basis for political decision-making

conservative ideology

traditional social structures and existing structures of authority

conservative

limited government, conservative or liberal?

conservative

high punishments for crimes, conservative or liberal?

conservative

states rights over federal power, conservative or liberal?

conservative

government outside the economy, conservative or liberal?

liberal

efforts of social justice, conservative or liberal?

liberal

regulations on businesses, conservative or liberal?

liberal

Intervention in the economy, conservative or liberal?

party platform

A set of policy goals published by the party that tells you the kind of legislation they would pursue if they were to win the election

conservative

Making English the official language of the US, conservative or liberal?

assimilation

belief that there is a normative set of American cultural values

fiscal policy

decisions the government makes about government spending and taxation, about how much money we need to spend and on what

monetary policy

decisions the government makes about how much money should be in the economy

liberal

government spending, conservative or liberal?

keynesian economics

The government should intervene through government spending

conservative

less government spending and fewer taxes, conservative or liberal?

libertarian

least amount of government intervention as possible, the only thing the government is needed for is to protect property rights. Which ideology?

conservative, liberal

libertarians lean more [blank] when it comes to economic issues, but more [blank] when it comes to social issues