week7

Agents of socialization

Those agents, such as the family and the media, that have significant impact on citizens’ political socialization.

Cultural (social) conservatives

Those who believe government power should be used to uphold traditional values.

Cultural (social) liberals

Those who believe it is not government’s role to buttress traditional values at the expense of unconventional or new values.

Delegate

An elected representative whose obligation is to act in accordance with the expressed wishes of the people they represent.

Direction (of an opinion)

An opinion dimension that refers to whether people have a pro or con opinion on an issue.

Economic conservatives

Those who believe government tries to do too many things that should be left to private interests and economic markets.

Economic liberals

Those who believe government should do more to assist people who have difficulty meeting their economic needs on their own.

Framing

The process by which certain aspects of a situation are highlighted while other aspects are downplayed or ignored.

Identity politics

A situation in which people base their concerns on a group identity (such as race or religion) and align themselves politically with those who share that identity and against those who don’t.

Ideology

A general belief about the role and purpose of government.

Intensity

An opinion dimension that refers to how strongly people feel about an issue.

Party identification

The personal sense of loyalty that an individual may feel toward a particular political party.

Political socialization

The learning process by which people acquire their political opinions, beliefs, and values.

Population

In a public opinion poll, the people whose opinions are being estimated through interviews with a sample of these people.

Public opinion

The politically relevant opinions held by ordinary citizens that they express openly.

Public opinion poll

A device for measuring public opinion whereby a relatively small number of individuals (the sample) is interviewed for the purpose of estimating the opinions of a whole community.

Salience

An opinion dimension that refers to how highly people rank an issue relative to other issues.

Sample

In a public opinion poll, the relatively small number of individuals who are interviewed for the purpose of estimating the opinions of an entire population.

Sampling error

A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll, mainly a function of sample size and usually expressed in percentage terms.

Trustee

An elected representative whose obligation is to act in accordance with their own conscience as to what policies are in the best interests of the public.