Unit 6 Terms AP Gov

Political culture

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one another

Social capital

Democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences, which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations

Natural rights

The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called human rights

Democratic consensus

Widespread agreement on fundamental principles of democratic governance and the values that undergird them

Majority rule

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority

Popular sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people

American dream

The widespread belief that the United States is a land of opportunity and that individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private property, competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production, distribution, and pricing of goods and services

Suffrage

The right to vote

Monopoly

Domination of an industry by a single company that fixes prices and discourages competition; also, the company that dominates the industry by these means

Antitrust legislation

Federal laws (starting with the Sherman Act of 1890) that tried to prevent a monopoly from dominating an industry and restraining trade

Political ideology

A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government

Liberalism

A belief that government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity

Conservatism

A belief that limited government insures order competitive markets and personal opportunity

Socialism

An economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the means of production and exchange

Libertarianism

An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on minimal government, promoting a free market economy, a noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in moral, economic, and social life

Environmentalist

An ideology that is dominated by concern for the environment but also promotes grassroots democracy, social justice, equal opportunity, nonviolence, respect for diversity, and feminism

Public opinion

The distribution of individual preferences or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population

Random sample

In this type of sample, every individual has unknown and random chance of being selected

Margin of error

Rate of error in a random sampling – usually +/- 3% for a sample of at least 1,500 individuals

Intensity

How strongly people feel about certain political issues

Latency

Political opinions that exist but have not been fully expressed

Salience

Extent to which people believe issues are relevant to them

Political socialization

The process – most notably in families and schools – by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs

Attentive public

Those citizens who follow public affairs carefully

Voter registration

System designed to reduce voter fraud by limiting voting to those who have established eligibility to vote by submitting the proper documents

Australian ballot

A secret ballot printed by the state

General election

Elections in which voters elect officeholders

Primary election

Elections in which voters determine party nominees

Presidential election

Elections held in years when the president is on the ballot

Midterm election

Elections held midway between presidential elections

Off-year elections

Elections held in odd-numbered calendar years

Turnout

The proportion of the voting age public that votes, sometimes defined as the number of registered voters that vote

Party identification

An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire in childhood

Candidate appeal

How voters feel about a candidate’s background, personality, leadership ability, and other personal qualities

Prospective issue voting

Voting based on what a candidate pledges to do in the future about an issue if elected

Retrospective issue of voting

Holding incumbents, usually the president’s party, responsible for their records on issues, such as the economy or foreign policy