AP GOV unit 3 vocab

american political culture

a dominant set of beliefs defined by Democratic ideals, principles, and core values

individualism

the belief that people have the ability to shape their lives and destinies through the choices they make

equality of opportunity

the core american value that everyone should have an equal chance to compete

free enterprise

an economic system in which the market determines the prices and availability of products and services, and the government intrudes as little as possible in the economic transactions among citizens and businesses

rule of law

the principle that no one is above the law and that every person, even those in power, is accountable and must follow the laws that govern society

political socialization

the process by which individuals develop their political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors

political ideology

an individual’s coherent set of beliefs about the government, politics, and policymaking

generational effect

the impact of experiences shared by people of a similar age on their political ideology

life cycle effect

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

globalization

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

public opinion

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

scientific poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents of a statistically significant sample size, who are asked questions using neutral language

sample

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

random selection

a method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that does not over or underrepresent any group of the population

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 usually is calculated to plus or minus 3 percentage points

mass survey

a survey designed to measure the opinions of the population, usually consisting of more than 1500 responses

entrance survey

a poll conducted of people as they come into 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 to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues are important to voters

tracking polls

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

question order

the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls

question wording

the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll

party ideology

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

party identification

an individual’s attachment to a political party

conservatism

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

liberalism

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

libertarianism

an ideology favoring very little government regulation and minimal control over social behavior beyond protecting private property and individual liberty

command-and-control economy

economic policy in which government dictates much of a nation’s economic activity, including the amount of production and the prices of the goods

mixed economy

economic policy in which many economic decisions are left to individuals and businesses, with the government regulating economic activity

gross domestic product(GDP)

the total value of goods and services produced by an economy

economic recession

a period of decline in economic activity, typically defined by two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth

unemployment rate

the percentage of people who are actively looking for jobs but cannot find jobs

inflation

the rise in the prices of goods and services

consumer price index(CPI)

the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, used to measure the cost of living

fiscal policy

government use of taxing and spending to attempt to lower unemployment, increase economic growth, and stabilize the economy

federal reserve system

a board of governors, Federal Reserve Banks, and member banks responsible for U.S. monetary policy

monetary policy

a set of economic tools designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy

medicare

a federal program that provides health insurance to seniors and disabled people

medicaid

a federal program that provides health care for low-income Americans