AP Gov - Unit 4 Vocab (Chapter 10/11/12)

Individualism

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

Equality of Opportunity

a core American value that everyone should have a chance to succeed.

Free Enterprise

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

Rule of Law

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

Limited Government

government must be limited to prevent it from taking away rights and liberties, and the government's legitimacy is based on public support.

Political Socialization

the experiences and factors that shape our 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 in life on his or her political views.

Globalization

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

Scientific Poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size 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.

Sampling error

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

Entrance Poll

a poll conducted of people who are coming into an event, such as attending a meeting of a political party or standing in line to vote.

Exit Poll

a survey conducted following an event or at a polling place after people have voted.

Benchmark Poll

a poll 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

polls that determine the level of support for a candidate or an issue over the length of a campaign.

Conservatism

an ideology favoring more regulation of social behavior and less government interference in the economy.

Liberalism

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

Libertarianism

an ideology favoring very little government intervention beyond protecting private property and individual liberty.