AP Gov Unit 4 sec. 3 part 1

Public Opinion

study seeks to understand the distribution of the population's belief about politics/policy issues, diversity/uninformed citizens makes this study difficult and complex

Consequence for Democracy

least informed people are the least likely to participate which leads to inequalities in who takes part in political action

Public Opinion Polling

more popular but people do not always understand what the numbers really mean and can manipulate them to mean what they want

Demography

science of human population and changes

Census

constitutional requirement that government count the population every 10 years, tool for understanding American demographics and seats in the House, participation is required, once numbers are established groups can ask for federal aid equal to their size

U.S. as a Nation of Immigrants

all Americans descend from immigrants (open door policy), 3 waves of American immigration, multicultural/multilingual, minority groups have adopted basic American values

American Shared Core Values

individualism, equality of opportunity, free enterprise, rule of law, limited government

Free Enterprise

businesses can make decisions without direct government involvement

Rule of Law

law applies equally to everyone

American Melting Pot

mixture of cultures, ideas, and people

Minority Majority

minority groups become majority and whites become minority

Asian Immigrants

new class of professional workers looking for greater opportunity, high percentage of college degrees

Native Americans

indigenous minority, worst off

Minority Groups in America

share common political culture regardless of background

Political Culture

overall set of values shared within society, such as equality

Population Shift

from "rust belt" (northwest/midwest) to "sun belt" (southeast/southwest), impacts reapportionment

Reapportionment

gains or losses of congressional representation in the House as states' population balance changes (occurs after census)

Political Socialization

process through which an individual acquires his or her own political orientations (knowledge, feelings, and emotions), informal (pick up things as they go), lifelong activity

Agents of Political Socialization

family, schools, peers, media, social environment, religious institutions, civic institutions, geographic location

Schools Role in Socialization

instill basic values/loyalty, most obvious, no evidence of ideological bias in K-12, does not promote one party or another

Media's Role in Socialization

"new parent," quality of sources is crucial

Shifters of Political Socialization Influences

major political events (9/11), globalization (influence of US on other countries/vice versa), generational effects, lifecycle effects

Role of Polls in American Democracy

gives candidates idea of their chances of winning, give Congress people an idea of constituents' views, see where the public stands on issue

Supporters of Polls

tool for democracy, citizens express opinions to representatives

Critics of Polls

believe politicians are more concerned with following voter thoughts than leading

Bandwagon Effect

distorts election process, people adopt certain behaviors/attitudes simply because others are doing so

Exit Poll

public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision, done after election, most criticized

Manipulation of Polls

results can mean whatever someone wants them to, changing the wording creates bias

Benchmark Poll

used to gather general information about peoples views and concerns

Tracking Poll

ask people the same or similar questions over time to "track" the path of public opinion

Entrance/Exit Poll

conducted outside of voting places on election day to anticipate results and analyze voter demographics

Focus Group

groups of 10-40 gathered people led by moderator to hold conversations about issues/candidates, allows for deeper insight and follow up

Approval Rating

ask whether respondent approves or disapproves of public officials job performance

Polling Methodology

legitimate polls construct questionnaires with properly worded and appropriately ordered questions and select a representative sample after which they analyze the data and draw appropriate conclusions

Reliable Polls

share methodology publicly, publish sampling error/margin of error and take it into account

Polling

invented by George Gallup, rely on sample of population to measure public opinion

Random Sampling

key to accurate poll, everyone has equal probability of being selected, needs to match whole population

New Technology in Polls

less expensive, more common, phone/random digit dialing used for younger generations

Problems With Polls

non-attitudes, high frequency of uninformed citizens responding, people may be less honest when talking to a pollster than paper response

Non-Attitudes

people do not have strong opinions on certain issues