Unit 4/5: Political Ideology & Participation

Political Culture

Set of beliefs

Individualism

Freedom of action and choice

Conservatism

More regulation of social behavior

Gender Gap

The gap between the amount of women and men who vote

Political Socialization

The experiences and factors that shape our political values

Individual Enterprise

Business/industry is controlled by individuals and private corporations

Liberalism

Less government control over social behavior, greater regulation of the economy (often Democrat)

Public Opinion Poll

Helps gauge election results

Generational Event

An event that has significant impact on shaping the views of a generation

Equality of Opportunity

Government should ensure that everyone competes on a “level playing field”

Libertarianism

Very little government intervention beyond protecting private property and individual liberty

Horse-race journalism

Coverage of political campaigns that focuses more on the drama of the campaign than on policy issues

Fiscal Policy

Taxation and spending, determined by Congress & the president, budget process

Benchmark Poll

Taken at the beginning of a campaign to gauge support

Rule of Law

Nobody is above the law

Ideology

Philosophy

Exit Poll

Surveys conducted as people are leaving their polling place

Agenda Setting

The media’s ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public

Partisan Bias

The slanting of political news coverage in support of a particular political party of ideology

Political Action Committee (PAC) & Super PACs

PAC: electioneering arm of interest groups and Super PACs: organizations that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign

Caucuses

A process through which a state’s eligible voters meet to select delegates to present their preferences in the nomination process