AP Gov Unit 4

Kinda Yeah?

Direct Democracy

Citizens vote directly on laws and policies

Demographic Factors

Characteristics that influence opinions (age, race, income)

Apathy

Lack of interest or concern about politics

Efficacy

Interest or concern about politics

Exit Polls

Surveys of voters after they vote

Tracking Polls

Polls conducted over time to measure changes in opinion

Public Opinion Polls

Surveys to measure views of a group of people

Public Opinion

Collective attitudes of people on political issues

Random Sampling

Allows sampling to be generalized to population

Sampling Error (Margin of Error)

Measurement of poll accuracy from actual opinion

Straw Poll

Informal, non-statistical survey

Gender Gap

Difference in political views between men and women

Agents of Political Socialization

Personal influences of political views (family, school, media)

Political Socialization

Process of developing political beliefs

Political Elites

People with significant political power or influence

Electorate

All eligible voters

Republican

Member of a conservative political party

Democrat

Member of a liberal political party

Moderate

Person with centered political views

Liberal

Supports more government action for social equality

Conservative

Supports limited government and traditional values

Libertarian

Supports minimal government and maximum individual freedom

Socialism

When government plays a major role in the economy

Independent

Voter not affiliated with a political party