American Political Culture, Ideology, and Public Opinion: Key Concepts and Polling Methods

American political culture

a dominant set of beliefs defined by democratic ideals, principles, and core values.

individualism

the belief that people have the ability to shape their lives and destinies through the choices they make.

equality of opportunity

the core American value that everyone should have an equal chance to compete.

free enterprise

an economic system in which the market determines the prices and availability of products and services, and the government intrudes as little as possible in the economic transactions among citizens and businesses.

rule of law

the principle that no one is above the law and that every person, even those in power, is accountable and must follow the laws that govern society.

Political socialization

the process by which individuals develop their political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors.

political ideology

an individual's coherent set of beliefs about government, politics, and policymaking.

generational effect

the impact of experiences shared by people of a similar age on their political ideology.

life cycle effect

the impact of a person's age and stage in life on their political views.

Globalization

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

public opinion

the sum of individual attitudes about government, policies, and issues

scientific poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents of a statistically significant sample size, who are asked questions 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.

weighting

a procedure in which the survey is adjusted according to the demographics of the larger population.

sampling error

the margin of error in a poll, which usually is calculated to plus or minus 3 percentage points.

mass survey

a survey designed to measure the opinions of the population, usually consisting of more than 1500 responses.

entrance survey

a poll conducted of people as they come into an event.

exit poll

a survey conducted outside a polling place in which individuals are asked who or what they just voted for and why.

benchmark poll

a survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues are important to voters.

Tracking polls

a survey determining the level of support for a candidate or an issue throughout a campaign.

question order

the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls.

question wording

the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll.