chapter 10 & 11 vocab

political culture

the dominant set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and government

individualism

the belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and for the decisions they make

laissez-faire (free enterprise)

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

rule of law

the principle that no one, including public officials, is above the law

political socialization

the experiences and factors that shape an individual’s political values, attitudes, and behaviors

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 effect

the impact of a person’s age and stage on life in their political views

globalization

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

outsourcing

when a company moves its business to place where labor costs are cheaper or production is more efficient because workers work longer hours

public opinion

the sum of individual attitudes about government, policies, and issues

focus group

a small group of individuals assembled for a conversation about specific issues

scientific poll

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

sample

a subgroup of individuals from a larger population used to measure public opinion

representative sample

a sample that reflects the demographics of the population

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 is usually calculated to around plus or minus three percentage points

mass survey

a survey designed to measure the opinions of the population, usually consisting of 1,500 responses

entrance survey

a poll conducted of people coming to an event

exit poll

a survey conducted outside a polling place in which individuals are asked who or what they just voted for 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 votes

tracking poll

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

random digit dialing

the use of telephone numbers randomly generated by computer to select potential survey respondents

question order

the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls

question wording

the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll