AP Gov Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

Difference between political culture and ideology

political culture is a set of political norms most americans believe regardless of party affiliation and political ideology is a set of views that varies drastically from person to person

Do most americans have lower or higher political efficacy?

most americans have low political efficacy because they do not understand the inner workings of the government and they feel like their vote will not influence or impact anything

Lower political efficacy leads to…

lower voter turnout & lower citizen participation in government

Some models of voting behavior

• retrospective voting

• prospective voting

• rational choice voting

• party line voting

Retrospective voting

electoral behavior where voters make decisions based on the past performance of the incumbent candidate or party in office

Prospective voting

electoral behavior in which voters make their decisions based on their expectations of how candidates will perform if elected in the future

Rational choice voting

voting for a candidate based on an individual's self-interest and the perceived benefits of their policies

Party line voting

voting for candidates exclusively from one political party, reflecting party loyalty

social cleavage

division in society based on characteristics such as class, race, religion, or geography that influences political behavior and preference & divide groups of voters into blocks

reinforcing cleavage

a type of social cleavage where divisions in society enhance each other, leading to greater polarization between two groups that they have opposite positions on everything

cross-cutting cleavage

a type of social cleavage where divisions in society are unrelated, allowing individuals from different groups to align on certain issues and disagree on others, potentially reducing polarization and creating pluralism like in fed no. 10

What is the federal reserve system (the fed)?

the central bank of the United States. It's a powerful economic institution responsible for conducting monetary policy, supervising and regulating banks, and maintaining financial stability. It works to promote a strong US economy by influencing interest rates, managing the money supply, and regulating financial markets

What is the main cause of inflation?

too much money flowing around in the economy

Some negative impacts of inflation

• prices raise

• drives down demand for businesses

• hurts the poor

monetary policy

the federal reserve adjusting the size of the money supply and the interest rates to keep prices stable, unemployment low, and economy growing

fiscal policy

the government's use of taxation and spending to influence the economy

what is the goal of monetary policy?

• trying to control the money supply

• keep prices stable & GDP up

• grow the economy without out of control inflation

What happens when more money is added to the economy?

speeds up economy

What happens when there is less money in the economy?

slows economy

Tools used in fiscal policy to help the economy grow

• lower taxes

• increase spending

Tools used in fiscal policy to help slow the economy

• raise taxes

• lower spending

Regulatory policy

actions taken by the government (IRA’s) to regulate the private sector

Tools of regulatory agencies

using regulations and rules to influence the spending of the private sector

Tools used in monetary policy to help the economy grow

• lowering the discount rate

• lowering the reserve requirement

• buying bonds

Tools used in monetary policy to help the economy slow

• raise discount rate

• raise reserve requirement

• selling bonds

Why would congress give their power away to regulatory agencies?

• removes politics from decision - making to keep the best interests of the people in mind

• more quick and efficient than a grid-locked and polarized congress

• more qualified professionals to be decision makers

• takes the blame off of congress if regulatory decisions lead to unpopular outcomes

Conservative

an ideology that favors traditional values and is typically resistant to change in social and political systems. they often emphasize limited government, free markets, and individual freedoms. They are associated with the right

Liberal

an ideology that favors social equality and government intervention in the economy. they advocate for civil rights, social justice, and progressive reforms. They are associated with the left.

political culture

the set of attitudes shaping political behavior

Individualism

belief in the fundamental worth and importance of the individual

self-centered individualism

place’s the individual’s interest above the group’s and wants little government interference (conservative)

enlightened self-interest

sacrifices some individual freedom for the common good & expects the government to promote the public good (liberal)

equality of opportunity

the principle that all individuals should have the chance to compete for success and economic advancement without artificial barriers

what do conservatives think about equality of opportunity?

the efforts of an individual determine their success

what do liberals think about equality of opportunity?

sometimes success can only occur with some government support because not everyone starts from the same level playing field

free enterprise (laissez-faire or let it be)

An “invisible hand” guided by producers and consumers regulates the economy over time where minimal government intervention allows businesses to operate freely. It emphasizes competition and consumer choice as drivers of economic growth.

what do conservatives think of free enterprise?

the government should stay out of the way of the economy and there should be fewer business regulations in place

what do liberals think of free enterprise?

some government regulation is necessary to assure fairness and safety in the economy and to prevent monopolies and protect workers' rights

rule of law

the laws apply equally to all society members and nobody is above the law

limited government

the government is controlled by laws, check and balances, and separation of powers to prevent it from gaining too much power and protecting it’s citizens from tyranny and abuse of power

what is a republican take on limited government?

there should be less government involvement in business & well-defined federalism

what is a democrat’s take on limited government?

the government should take more liberal action for the greater good of it’s people

political socialization

the process by which you develop political beliefs

What is the biggest influence on political socialization?

family

Some factors involved in political socialization

• family

• school and education

• peers

• media

• social environment

• geography

How does family influence political socialization?

Family instills initial political beliefs and values in children through communication, traditions, and parental example, shaping their overall worldview

How does education influence political socialization?

more highly educated people lean moderate or liberal than less educated people leaning to the right instead

How do peers influence political socialization

people tend to socially conform to groups they are closely aligned with and peer pressure works to activate civic action and participation at the polls

How does the media influence political socialization

young people are exposed to political information and opinions through the media and the way politicians and politics are depicted can socialize them to support certain ideologies and influence their political attitudes

how do social environments influence political socialization?

some institution can influence political thought (religious) by either reinforcing certain existing beliefs or socializing someone to diversity and new paths of thought (civic)

How do religious institutions influence political socialization?

they often provide moral frameworks and community norms that influence members' perspectives on social and political issues. They also teach certain ideologies and religions tend to vote in a block for one party most times.

How do civic institutions influence political socialization?

by promoting civic engagement, encouraging participation in democratic processes, and fostering discussion about social and political issues among their members. Non governmental, non business, voluntary sector of life that can introduce diversity.

what ideology wants less economic regulation and less social regulation?

libertarian

which ideology wants more economic regulation and more social regulation?

populist/communist

which ideology wants less economic regulation and more social regulation?

pure conservative

which ideology wants more economic regulation and less social regulation?

pure liberal

how does geography affect political socialization?

by affecting individuals' experiences and interactions with political institutions and communities, often shaped by local culture, demographics, and socioeconomic conditions

globalization

the process of an expanding and increasingly interactive world economy

how does the US influencing other countries impact globalization?

the US is a dominant economic power affecting globalization when US products are used by an international consumer that pushed american values

how does other countries influencing the US affect globalization?

the diversity in the US has increased due to globalization & immigration and the US is influence by collectivistic values

collectivistic values

putting community needs over individual ones which emphasizes group goals and social cohesion

how has globalization impacted global identification?

globalization has created a political culture where people think beyond national borders for identity and pressure on the world’s resources can cause a sense of global kinship

millennial view on foreign policy

they are more willing to try cooperating with other nations rather than using force

millennial economic views

are conscious of the environment, take a moderate stance on the economy: want regulations but also like the idea of a self-made man

millennial voting behavior

more liberal and majority democrats

silents on foreign policy

like american prosperity, patriotism, and have a religious moral code

silents on social issues

they want to be tougher on criminals, oppose gay marriage, and do not want maraijuana

silents voting behavior

most reliable voting block with high turnout rates and lean more conservative

The younger the generation,

the lower the voter turnout

life cycle effects

the variety of physical, social, and psychological changes that people go through as they age

examples of life cycle effects

going to college, marriage, having children, retiring

major political events and their influence on the older generation

• government’s response to the great depression

• created trust and support of the government’s role as a social safety net

• WW2 united people and everyone believed in the government’s reliablitity (roles for women)

• trusted govgoing into vietnam and forgave the outcome

major political events and their influence on the baby boomers

• protests and shootings, challenging government, change through actions

• started more as democrats but flocked to republicans

• shift in policy positions of the parties as democrats became more liberal

• FDR new deal coalition

major political events and their influence on the younger generation

• US and NATO attacks after 9/11 and Iraq invasion

• reluctant to use military force, think that the US should stay out of world affairs after outcome

• Great Recession, accepted government intervention in a failing economy

public opinion polls

surveys used by pollsters to gauge attitudes and opinions of the public on various issues, elections, and policies

benchmark polls

first poll used in a political campaign to measure support for a candidate and gather information about big issues

tracking polls

used to measure how prospective voters feel about an issue and how they’ll vote on election day, they also track issues and how a candidate is faring. Poll the same group of people over a period of time.

entrance/exit polls

polls on election day before or after you place your vote to predict election outcomes and provide insight on voter behavior and different demographics

approval ratings

polls that reveal what percent of the public approves of the president’s performance in office

honeymoon period

an elevated approval rating of the president in the first few months of their term where people and lawmakers are like to be more agreeable to the president and they can gain support for their agenda

focus groups

small groups of citizens with around 10-40 people who gather to hold conversations about issues or candidates and express opinions (not representative of the population)

how do questions have to be worded?

objectively and framed in a neutral way

proper ______________ assure accurate polls with random and fair population representation

sampling techniques

pollster

person taking the poll who specializes in conducting surveys and analyzing opinions

representative sample

a group of people that represent the large group being tested or the population

random sample

a sampling method where every individual has an equal chance of being selected, ensuring unbiased results

random - digit dialing

a computer randomly calls possible numbers in an area to establish a representative sample and make phone polling more reliable

weighting/stratification

manipulating the sample to make sure demographic groups are properly represented in a sample

sample error/margin of error

the degree of error in a survey's results, reflecting the uncertainty due to the sample size (differences between poll results)

as the sample increases, ____________________

the margin of error decreases & the precision of the results improves

how to find margin of error

measure the results of your poll with multiple similar polls and use a statistical formula to calculate the level of uncertainty in the results

non-attitudes

people do not have strong opinions on the issues, are uninformed, or have privacy concerns causing them not to share their views which may lead to random responses in polling data

human bias

how the interviewer contacts and interacts with the respondent and their views can impact a poll because it can be difficult to be completely objective

push polling

telephone call or tape recorded audio to talk-up or bad mouth a candidate to “push” a certain view often disguised as a survey or poll

bandwagon effect

a shift of support to a candidate/issue/position holding the lead in public opinion polls

the influence of polls on the three branches of government

The legislative branch (in particular the House of Representatives which faces re-election every two years) is somewhat responsive because lawmakers want to keep constituents happy in order to raise funds and win re-election.

The executive branch sometimes uses high approval ratings as a "mandate" to advance the president's agenda as quickly as possible. Presidents also use the "bully pulpit" to sway public opinion in their favor.

The judicial branch has been shown to still be influenced by public opinion despite judges being appointed for life. Studies have shown that when the general mood of the nation is liberal, the Court will hand down more liberal rulings and when the general mood is conservative, it will hand down more conservative rulings.

candidate error

percentage point difference between poll estimate and candidate’s share of vote to gauge the accuracy of pre-election polling data

social-desirability bias

the tendency for respondents and declared voters to tell pollsters what they think they’ll want to hear which increases the margin of error in the poll data

bradley effect

social pressure that causes someone to lie about who they are voting for and over-inflate that candidate’s polling numbers which are incorrect compared to the election outcome

non response bias

not responding to polls so the candidate of their choice doesn’t receive accurate polling results comparing to the election numbers