AP Government: Political Parties and Ideology

Political Culture

commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how government should operate

Individualism

a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control.

Equal Opportunity

the idea that all people should have the same chance to achieve success, social status is based on effort, political equality for all

Free Enterprise/Laissez Faire

an economic system in which government intrudes as little as possible in the economic transactions among citizens and businesses

Rule of Law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern (no one is above the law)

Limited Government

The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens.

Political Socialization

the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

Political Ideology

an individual's coherent set of beliefs about government and politics

Generational Effect

the impact of historical events experienced by a generation upon their political views

Life-cycle Effects

The impact of age-related factors in the formation of political attitudes, opinions, and beliefs.

Globalization

the increasing interconnectedness of people, businesses, and countries throughout the world

Party Ideology

a party's philosophy about the proper role of government and its set of positions on major issues

Party Identification

the degree of a citizen's connection to a political party

Conservatism

an ideology favoring more control of social behavior, fewer regulations on businesses, and less government interference in the economy

Liberalism

an ideology favoring less government control over social behavior and more greater regulation of businesses and of the economy

Libertarianism

An ideology insists on minimal government intervention, only use to protect individual liberties and public property

Democrat ideology

more likely to favor social welfare programs, job programs through public works, tax laws that help people with lower income, and government regulation of business (more liberal)

Republican ideology

more likely to be pro-life, larger role for state government, protection of business, and limiting social welfare programs (more conservative)

Straight ticket voting

voting exclusively for the candidates of one party in an election

split-ticket voting

voting for candidates of different parties for different offices at the same election

party platform

a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to

recruitment

the process through which political parties identify potential candidates

party coalition

groups of voters who support a political party over time

reallignment

when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party

critical election

An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty (ex. FDR)

party eras

periods when one party wins most national elections

Era of Divided Government

a trend since 1969, in which one party controls one or both houses of Congress and the president is from the opposing party

linkage institutions

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Political mobilization

efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote

Base voters

party members who tend to vote loyally for their party's candidates in most elections

two-party system

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.

proportional representation system

an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive

single member plurality system

an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes

Third parties

minor political parties in competition with the two major parties

focus group

A small group of people assembled for a conversation about specific issues

scientific poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size, using neutral language

sample

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole.

random selection

A way of ensuring that a sample of people is representative of a population by giving everyone in the population an equal chance of being selected for the sample

weighting

a procedure in which the survey is adjusted according to the demographics of the larger population

sampling error

the margin of error in a poll, which usually is calculated to plus or minus three percentage points

mass survey

a way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population

entrance survey

a poll conducted of people coming to an event

exit poll

a survey taken at polling places of how people voted and why

benchmark poll

a survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign in order to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues are important to voters

tracking poll

a survey determining the level of support for a candidate or an issue throughout a campaign

random digit dialing

A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey.

question order

the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls

question wording

the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll

Green Party

A political party that prioritizes environmental protection, social justice, grassroots democracy, and non-violence, advocating for policies that promote sustainability, ecological awareness, and progressive reforms across social, economic, and political spheres.

Partisanship

The strong, often blind allegiance to a political party, leading to a lack of impartiality and a willingness to support party policies regardless of external factors.

Moderates

Individuals whose political views are centrist, falling between liberal and conservative ideologies, often supporting a mix of policies from both sides.

First Past the Post

An electoral system in which the candidate who receives the most votes in a constituency wins, regardless of whether they achieve an absolute majority.