AP Gov - Unit 4 American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

Actually unit 2

Individualism

The belief that each person has the ability, freedom, and responsibility to shape their own life and destiny through their personal choices

Equality of Opportunity

Core American value that all people show have a fair and equal chance to compete, succeed, and reach their full potential, regardless les of their background, race, gender, or social status

Free Enterprise

The market-rather than the government-determines prices, products, and services with minimal government interference.

Rule of Law

Every person and government official, even those in the highest positions of power, must follow and is accountable to the same laws.

political culture

Widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens hold about their government and relationship to one another.

political socialization

The lifelong process by which individuals develop their political values, beliefs, attitudes, and ideologies

Political ideologies

A consistent and coherent set of beliefs about the proper role of government, individual rights, and the economy.

liberal

Someone whose political ideology favors a more active national government to solve social problems, regulate the marketplace, and promote economic and social equality.

conservative

opposite to liberal; favors limited national government involvement in the economy and social policy, preferring that states, markets, or individuals handle these issues instead.

political participation

any actions citizens use to influence government decisions, choose political leaders, or shape public policies.

random sampling

a polling method where every member of a target population has an equal chance of being chosen for an interview or survey

margin of error

statistical range that measures the a mount of random sampling error in a public opinion poll

Opinion polls

a small, representative sample of citizens used to estimate the feelings, beliefs, and attitudes of the entire population on specific political issues.

tracking polls

a scientific survey repeated continuously over time to chart how public opinion or candidate support shifts during a campaign.

benchmark polls

a initial survey conducted by a campaign-often before a candidate officially announces their run-to establish a baseline measure of public support, name recognition, and voter stance on key issues.

exit polls

a survey conducted outside randomly selected polling places on Election Day to ask voters whom they voted for and why immediately after they cast their ballots.

public opinion

a distribution of individual preferences, attitudes, and beliefs about government, political issues, candidates, and public policy ihtin a specific population.

linkage institution

a channel or structure that connects citizens to the government and policymakers by transmitting public preferences and concerns onto the political agenda

mass media

the entire array of organizations-including televisions, radio, newspaper, magazines, the internet, and social media- that collect and share information with a large public audience.

agenda setting

the power of the media or political leaders to determine which public policy issues get attention and are perceived as important by the public and government officials.

horse race journalism

election reporting that focuses on who is winning or losing in public opinion rather than on the candidates’ policy platforms or substantive issues.

trial balloons

an intentional new leak or tentative policy announcement made by a public official to the media to gage public and political reaction before official committing to the idea.

FCC - Federal Communications Commission

an independent regulatory agency created by Congress via the Communications Act of 1934 to oversee interstate ad international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable.

media bias

the tendency of journalists, editors, and new organizations o favor a specific political party, candidate, ideology, or perspective when selecting and covering stories.

narrowcasting

media programming on cable television or the internet that focuses on a particular interest and aims at a specific, niche audience rather than the general public.

gatekeeper

the role of the media plays in determining which issues become national political issues and for how long

scorekeeper

the media role that tracks political reputations, candidacies, and who is winning or losing in elections.

watchdog

a role played by the media, organizations, or citizens in monitoring, investigating, and exposing government actions, corruption, waste or abuse, of power to hold public officials accountable.