AP Gov Unit 4

Political Ideology

• Political Ideology

Set of values about the purpose and scope of the government

• Conservative

• Liberal

• Libertarian

Conservative

advocates for

• smaller govt

• preserving institutions

• traditional values

• rule of law

• strong punishments

• big military

• preserving nuclear family

Liberal

advocates for:

• new reforms

• increased justice and equality for all

• welfare programs

• progressivism

• active govt. in the economy

• helping those in need

Libertarian

advocates for:

• free choice

• individual freedoms

• little government intervention

• defend property rights

Political Socialization

Process by which individuals develop political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors

6 Factors involved in political socialization

• family (MOST INFLUENTIAL!! However social media has decreased this)

• Schools

• Peers

• Media

• Civic/Religious Organizations

• Globalization

Impressionable Age Hypothesis

Individuals are highly susceptible to attitude change during late adolescence and early adulthood.

• Durable political stances are created during this period

Effects on Political Socialization

• Older individuals tend to be more conservative while younger individuals tend to be more liberal

• Political events (9/11, Vietnam War, Great Depression)

Polling

• Opinion Polls

• Tracking Polls

• Exit Polls

• Benchmark Polls

Opinion Polls

• Used to get a general feel of opinions on various issues.

• help politicians understand what people want

Tracking Poll

• Follows how views of a candidate change during a campaign

• Same question is asked

Exit Polls

• Asked outside random voting sites to attempt to predict outcome of an election more quickly

• highly accurate as they track actual voters

Benchmark Polls

• Create baseline views of a candidate, usually before announcing candidacy

Sampling

• Scientific Polling

• Goal is for pollsters to make poll as representative of the population as possible (stratification)

• Adjustments will be made if sample doesnt represent population

• must be truly random

• 1000-1500 people

• error of +/- 3 is considered good

Neutral Questions

• Scientific Polling

• Can’t be confusing or misleading

• Wording means EVERYTHING

• Specific, concise, unbiased wording

Accurate Reporting

• Scientific Polling

• Clear reporting and conclusions that can be supported by data

Bandwagon Effect

• states people will support candidates who are already doing well in polls

Polls need to be…

• Reliable = yields consistent results

• veracity = yields result that are accurate

• consistent and accurate results!

Polls are NEVER a fact

• Major errors in polling

• 1980 Election —> Reagan over Carter

• 2016 Election —> Trump over Clinton

Economic Policies

• Keynesian Economics

• Supply-Side Economics

Keynesian Economics

• Liberal

• advocates for government programs to increase spending to stimulate economy

• tax the rich

• increase minimum wage

• spend money to create jobs

• Fiscal policy

Supply side economics

• Conservative

• Let free market determine choices

• Lower taxes

• fewer fiscal programs

• support businesses through tax cuts

• Money will trickle down and decrease spending on poor and elderly

• Monetary policy

Fiscal Policy

• decisions govt. makes about spending, taxes, and borrowing

• (Congress and President)

Monetary Policy

• Set of actions to control the nations interest rates and overall money supply —> controlled by Federal Reserve (america’s bank)

• to reduce inflation, raise interest rates

• to reduce unemployment , lower interest rates

Liberal Social Policy

• Favor more national govt. involvement to address some issues like education and public health

• less responsibility for states

Conservation Social Policy

• Less national govt. involvement for education and health

• more responsibility for states

Libertarian Social Policy

• as little govt. as possible

• govt. should protect private property and individual property