AP Government Ideology And Beliefs

Freedom of

the absence of constraints on behavior

Freedom from

immunity from things like want

Police power

the authority of a government to maintain order and safeguard citizen’s health, morals, safety, and welfare

Order

established patterns of authority in society and traditional modes of behavior

Social Equality

equality in wealth, education, and status

Equality of Outcome

everyone who has the same ability can achieve the same goal

Rights

the benefits of the government to which every citizen is entitled

Original Dilemma

tradeoff between freedom and order

Modern Dilemma

the tradeoff between freedom and equality

Majoritarian Model of Democracy

government by the majority of the people

Deliberative Democracy

citizens and elected representatives exercise reasoned and full debate on public policy

Pluralist Model of Democracy

government run by people operating through competing interest groups

Interest Group

an organized group that attempts to influence public policy

Elite theory

the view that a small group of people makes most important government decisions

Political Culture

ideologies, values, beliefs, norms, customs, and traditions of a country

Political Socialization

experiences and factors that shape an individual’s political values, attitudes, and behaviors

Generational Effect

the impact of historical events experienced by a generation on their political views

Life-cycle Effect

the impact of a person’s age and stage in life on political views

Generational Event

a historical event that significantly influences the political socialization of a generation

Limited Government

a theory where the government only has powers delegated to it by law

Rule of Law

principle that all people are governed by the law, no one is above the law

Free Enterprise

an economy where products and prices are determined by the market, not the government

Equality of Opportunity

each person has the same chance to succeed in life

Political Equality

equality in political decision making, one vote per person

Laissez-Faire Economy

minimal government interference in economic transactions

Command-and-Control Economy

government dictates much of a nation’s economic activity

Mixed Economy

economic decisions left to individuals and businesses, with government regulation

Belief

a stance on a specific topic

Political Ideology

an individual’s coherent set of beliefs about government and politics

Public Opinion

the collective opinion on a specific topic by the general public

Gender Gap

distinctive voting behavior pattern reflecting differences in views of men and women

Straw Poll

an unofficial poll to determine the opinion of a group on an issue

Push Poll

a deceptive poll intended to influence or manipulate respondents' opinions

Population

the number of people in a specific area, the group being studied

Exit Poll

a survey conducted outside a polling place asking individuals who they voted for and why

Focus Group

a small group assembled for a conversation about specific issues

Scientific Poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size

Sample

a group of individuals from a larger population used to measure public opinion

Question Wording

the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll

Question Order

the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls

Random-digit Dialing

using randomly generated telephone numbers to select survey respondents

Benchmark Poll

a survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign to gauge support for a candidate

Representative Sample

a sample that reflects the demographics of the population

Sampling Error

the margin of error in a poll

Weighting

adjusting the survey according to the demographics of the larger population

Mass Survey

a survey designed to measure the opinions of the population

Random selection/sampling

choosing poll respondents in a way that does not over or underrepresent any group

Tracking poll

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

Party Ideology

conservatism with Republicans, liberalism with Democrats

Party identification

the degree to which an individual identifies with and supports a political party

Conservatism

an ideology favoring more control of social behavior and less government interference in the economy

Liberalism

an ideology favoring less government control over social behavior and greater regulation of businesses

Libertarianism

an ideology favoring minimal government regulation and intervention

Socialism

a political and economic system where property and means of production are owned by the government

Anarchism

an ideology against all forms of government seeking to abolish those institutions