AP U.S. Government Unit 4

Individualism

Core American value holding that each person is responsible for their own well-being and success through the choices they make.

Equality of Opportunity

Core American value holding that all citizens are given an equal chance to compete and succeed in society.

Free Enterprise

Core American value supporting a competitive marketplace driven by self-interest and limited government regulation.

Rule of Law

Core American value asserting that every individual, including government officials, is accountable to the same established laws.

Political Socialization

The process by which individuals develop their political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors throughout their lives.

Agents of Socialization

Environmental factors—including family, schools, peers, media, and civic or religious organizations—that shape political attitudes.

Globalization and Political Culture

The dynamic where U.S. political culture influences and is influenced by values and perspectives from other countries.

Generational Effects

Shared political experiences and historical events impacting citizens of a common age that shape their political ideology.

Life Cycle Effects

Shifts in political attitudes and priorities that individuals encounter as they pass through different stages of life.

Influence of Major Political Events

Historical occurrences that impact individual political attitudes, driving political socialization and altering political ideology.

Opinion Polls

Public opinion surveys designed to measure public attitudes on various issues.

Benchmark Polls

Initial public opinion surveys conducted to establish baseline candidate views at the beginning of a campaign.

Tracking Polls

Continuous public opinion surveys that measure how voter views of a candidate change over the course of a campaign.

Exit Polls

In-person surveys conducted immediately after voters cast ballots on election day to analyze voter choices and demographics.

Sampling Methods

Scientific polling techniques that select representative participants and calculate a margin of error to ensure accuracy.

Margin of Error

A statistical calculation reflecting the potential difference between survey results and the true opinion of the entire population.

Neutral Framing

Using clear, specific, and unbiased question wording in public opinion polling to avoid skewing responses.

Democratic Party Platform

Official political platform that generally aligns closely with liberal ideological positions; also includes some democratic socialiasts

Republican Party Platform

Official political platform that generally aligns closely with conservative ideological positions; also includes some libertarians

Political Ideology and Public Policy

The dynamic where citizen attitudes, core values, and democratic ideals influence government policy goals and outcomes.

Liberal Marketplace Ideology

Political ideology favoring greater government regulation of the economy and marketplace.

Conservative Marketplace Ideology

Political ideology favoring reduced government regulation of the economy and marketplace.

Libertarian Marketplace Ideology

Political ideology favoring little to no government regulation of the marketplace beyond protecting property rights and voluntary trade.

Fiscal Policy

Actions taken by Congress and the president to influence national economic conditions through taxation and federal spending.

Keynesian Economics

A fiscal policy approach advocating government spending to stimulate economic demand during downturns.

Supply-Side Economics

A fiscal policy approach advocating tax cuts and deregulation to increase production and business investment.

Monetary Policy

Actions taken by the Federal Reserve to influence interest rates, manage the money supply, and regulate broader economic conditions.

The Federal Reserve

An independent federal agency responsible for conducting monetary policy to promote maximum employment and price stability.

Liberal Social Policy

Political ideology favoring the use of government to promote change in society to achieve desired social goals; favors national government action to achieve national uniformity.

Conservative Social Policy

Political ideology favoring the use of government to maintain existing social values such as the nuclear family and traditional morality; prefers state action to allow for regional differences

Libertarian Social Policy

Political ideology opposing government involvement in social issues unless protecting private property or individual liberty.

Reliability of Data

data is sufficiently complete and error free to be convincing for its purpose and context.

Veracity of Data

data actually measures what it claims to measure rather than something else