Unit IV Review Guide: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

Political Socialization

Process by which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values.

Influencing Factors Of Political Socialization

Family; Education; Media; Religion; Peers; Civic Institutions; Globalization & Generational Effects

Life-cycle Effects

How political attitudes change over a person’s life

Liberalism

More government regulation in the economy & More protection of civil liberties.

Conservatism

Less government intervention in the economy & Stronger stance on law and order.

Libertarianism

Minimal government intervention in both personal & economic matters.

Liberal Policy Preference

welfare programs, environmental regulation, progressive taxation, abortion rights.

Conservative Policy Preference

lower taxes, limited government spending, strong national defense, traditional values.

Libertarian Policy Preference

minimal taxes, privatization, non-interventionist foreign policy, strong civil liberties.

Public Opinion

Citizens' attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events.

Scientific Polling

Uses random sampling and proper question wording for accuracy.

Sampling Techniques

Random-digit dialing

Types Of Polls

Benchmark; Tracking; Exit

Sampling Error

Margin of error in a poll

Question Wording

Can influence results

Weighting

Adjusting survey responses to better reflect the population

Fiscal Policy

Taxation, government spending (Leg/Exe)

Monetary Policy

inflation, interest rates (handled by the Fed. Reserve Board): Key Interest Rates, Open Market Operations (buy/selling bonds), Reserve Requirement

Social Policy

healthcare, education, criminal justice

Linkage Institutions

(e.g., political parties, interest groups, media) help connect citizens to the government.

Ideological Polarization

Division of the public and political elites into strongly opposing ideological camps.

Party Dealignment

Voters move away from both major political parties and become more independent.

Party Realignment

Major shift in political party support, often after a critical election.

Political Efficacy

Belief that one’s political participation makes a difference.

Weighting

Adjusting poll responses to match demographic makeup of the population.

Policy Agenda

Set of issues that policymakers are paying attention to

Question Wording

Phrasing of questions in a poll, which can significantly affect results.

Exit Poll

Survey taken as voters leave the polling place, used to predict election outcomes

Tracking poll

Continuous polling to track changes in public opinion over time

Benchmark Poll

A poll taken at the beginning of a campaign to gauge support

Sample Error (Margin Of Error)

A measure of how much the results of a poll may differ from the actual views of the population

Generational Effects

How major political events shape the political views of a generation

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Total value of good and services produced by an economy

Command-And-Control Economy

Government’s dictates much of the nation’s economy activity: setting wages, prices, and production

Mixed Economy

Economic decisions are left to individuals and businesses, but the federal and state government shape those decisions through taxation, spending, and regulation

Medicaid

Federal program that provides healthcare for the poor

Laissez-faire/Free Enterprise

Economic system in which government intrudes as little as possible in the economic transactions among citizens and businesses

Open Market Operation

Buying and setting of government securities by a central bank to regulate the money supply and influence interest rates in the economy

Federal Reserve System

Board of governors, federal reserve banks, and member banks responsible for monetary policy. Raises and lowers interest rates

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, used to measure the cost of living

Partisanship

Strong allegiance to a political party, which can influence opinions, policies, and actions in government and politics

Entrance Survey

Poll conducted of people coming to an event

Supply-side

Stimulate the economy by cutting taxes to encourage businesses to grow and taxpayers to spend more money

Keynesian

Economic theory that government spending should increase during business slumps and be curbed during booms

Medicare

Federal program that provides health insurance to seniors and disabled