Unit 4: Political Ideology and Belief

Vocabulary flashcards covering core terms, demographic trends, political socialization, political culture, ideologies, polling methods, and participation styles from the Unit 4 lecture notes.

Immigrant Society

The current immigration wave, beginning in the 1960s, has been dominated by Hispanics (from Mexico, Central America, and Cuba) followed by Asians (from Vietnam, the Philippines, South Korea, etc.)

Majority Minority

The projected demographic state of the United States population around 2050, when non-Hispanic whites (currently under 60% of the population) will no longer constitute a majority.

Reapportionment

The process of reallocating seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among states based on population counts from the 10-year Census.

Sunbelt

The region of southern and western states—including CA, TX, FL, AZ, GA, and NC—that has gained political power due to immigration and internal southward migration.

Baby Boomers

The generation born between 1946 and 1963 whose aging and retirement are putting financial pressure on the Social Security and Medicare systems.

• Citizens over 65 are today’s fastest-growing age group 

• Aging increases political participation as well as the strength of party attachment

Political Socialization

The process through which individuals learn their political beliefs and values, heavily influenced by family, mass media, and public schools.

• Children generally mirror their parents’ party identification: about 2/3  share political preferences

• The mass media has been called the “new parent” as children watch more television and Internet videos, displacing parents as the chief source of info

Individualism

• Belief that people should depend on themselves and work hard to succeed.

• Shown by the idea of the “self-made man” and settlers who built lives on their own.

Equality of Opportunity

The core American value, rooted in the Declaration of Independence, holding that all individuals should have an equal chance to succeed through hard work.

Free Enterprise

• People should have the freedom to start businesses and make money.

• Many immigrants came to America looking for better economic opportunities.

• The government has increased its role in the economy, but conservatives have pushed for less business regulation.

Rule of Law

• Everyone, including government leaders, must follow the law.

• Laws are more important than the personal wishes of leaders.

Limited Government

• The government should have limited power.

• This protects people's individual freedoms from too much government control.

Liberal Ideology

• Supports a stronger central government.

• Government should help promote equality.

Conservative Ideology

• Supports a less active central government (smaller)

• Believes businesses should have more freedom.

• Supports government having a role in areas like law, security, and national defense.

Libertarianism

• Wants less government involvement in both personal life and the economy.

• Usually votes Republican.

• Can receive up to 5% of support in some states as a 3rd party.

Gender Gap

• Women are more likely to support Democrats.

• Men are more likely to support Republicans.

• The difference is about 10% in each direction.

Democratic New Deal Coalition

• Formed around Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

• Included Southern whites, unions, African Americans, Catholics, and Jewish Americans.

• In the 1960s, Democrats supported Civil Rights, causing many conservative white voters to switch to Republicans.

• Issues like Civil Rights, Vietnam, and abortion pushed more conservatives toward Republicans.

• Today, Democrats are a “big tent” party with many groups, including minorities, younger voters, liberals, and labor unions.

Reupublican GOP (Grand Old Party)

• Republicans became more consistently conservative by gaining conservative white voters who left the Democrats over Civil Rights.

• Christian conservatives became an important Republican group, especially after Reagan’s 1980 election from legalized abortion and EPA.

• EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS MOST LOYAL

• The South shifted from strongly Democratic to strongly Republican.

• Split-ticket voting became less common because voters increasingly supported the same party for most offices.

Split-Ticket Voting

• Before the 1990s, people often voted for different parties for different offices.

• Conservative voters might vote Republican for president but Democrat for other offices.

• This became less common as conservative Democrats switched to the Republican Party.

• Today, most voters stick with one party for most races.

Benchmark Polls

Initial public opinion surveys conducted by campaigns to determine messaging strategies and candidate priorities.

Tracking Polls

Surveys that question the same group of respondents repeatedly over time to track shifts in opinion.

Exit Polls

Polls conducted as voters leave polling locations, used by media outlets to predict election winners and collect demographic voting data.

Horse-Race Journalism

Media coverage of political campaigns that focuses primarily on poll standings and who is winning or losing rather than policy issues.

Push Polls

A negative campaigning tactic disguised as an opinion survey used to spread rumors or sway voters right before an election.

Random Sampling

A polling methodology in which every individual in a target population has an equal probability of being selected for the survey.

Sampling Error

The margin of error measuring the mathematical confidence level of a poll's results, which typically decreases as sample size increases.

Conventional Participation

Standard forms of political engagement, such as voting, donating money, campaigning, and running for office.

Civil Disobedience

A form of nonviolent protest in which individuals intentionally break laws they consider unjust and accept the legal penalties to highlight the injustice.