the collective attitudes and beliefs of individuals on one or more issues
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Public Opinion Polls
scientific efforts to estimate what an entire group thinks about an issue by asking a smaller sample of the group for its opinion
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Political Socialization
the process by which we learn our political orientations and allegiances
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Patriotism
a strong emotional attachment to one's political community
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Spiral of Silence
the process by which a majority opinion becomes exaggerated because minorities do not feel comfortable speaking out in opposition
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Gender gap
the tendency of men and women to differ in their political views on some issues
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Marriage Gap
the tendency of married and unmarried people to differ in their political views on some issues
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Political Generations
groups of citizens whose political views have been shaped by the common events of their youth
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Partisan Sorting
the process through which citizens align themselves ideologically with one of the two parties, leaving fewer citizens remaining in the center and increasing party polarization
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Sample
the portion of the population that is selected to participate in a poll
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Sample Bias
the effect of having a sample that does not represent all segments of the population
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Straw Polls
polls that attempt to determine who is ahead in a political race
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Sampling Error
a number that indicated within what range the results of a poll are accurate
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Random Samples
samples chose in such a way that any member of the population being polled has an equal chance of being selected
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Nonresponse Bias
a skewing of data that occurs when there is a difference in opinion between those who choose to participate and those who do not
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Weighting
adjustments to surveys during analysis so that selected demographic groups reflect their values in the population, usually as measured by the census
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Benchmark Poll
an initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared
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Tracking Polls
an ongoing series of surveys that follow changes in public opinion over time
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Exit Polls
election-related questions of voters right after they vote
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Push Polls
polls that ask for reactions to hypothetical, often false, information in order to manipulate public opinion
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Rational Ignorance
the state of being uninformed about politics because of the cost in time and energy
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On-Line processing
the ability to recieve and evaluate information as events happen, allowing us to remember our evaluation even if we have forgotten the specific events that caused it
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Two-Step flow of info
the process by which citizens take their political cues from more well-informed opinion leaders
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Opinion Leaders
people who know more about certain topics than we do and whose advice we trust, seek out, and follow
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Political Party
a group of citizens united by ideology and seeking control of government in order to promote their ideas and policies
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Political Gridlock
the stalemate that occurs when political rivals, especially parties, refuse to budge from their positions to achieve a compromise in the public interest
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Partisanship
loyalty to a political cause or party
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Party Organization
the official structure that conducts the political business of parties
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Party-in-Government
party members who have been elected to serve in government
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Party-in-the-electorate
ordinary citizens who identify with the party
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Party Identification
voter affiliation with a political party
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Party base
members of a political party who consistently vote for that party's candidates
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responsible party model
party government when four conditions are met: clear choice of ideologies, candidates pledged to implement ideas, party held accountable by voters, and party control over members
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Negative Partisanship
loyalty to a party driven by hatred of the other party
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hyperpartisanship
a commitment to party so strong that is can transcend other commitments
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Party Platform
a list of policy positions a party endorses and pledges its elected officials to enact
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Party Activists
the "party faithful"; the rank-and-file members who carry out the party's electioneering efforts
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Party Machines
mass-based party systems in which parties provided services and resources to voters in exchange for votes
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Party Bosses
party leaders, usually in an urban district, who exercised tight control over electioneering and patronage
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Patronage
system in which successful party candidates reward supporters with jobs or favors
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Party Primary
an election in which party candidates are nominated by registered party members rather than party bosses
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Party Eras
extended periods of relative political stability in which one party tends to control both the presidency and Congress
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Critical Election
an election signaling a significant change in popular allegiance from one party to another
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Realignment
substantial and long-term shift in party allegiance by individuals and groups, usually resulting in a change in policy direction
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Dealignment
a trend among voters to identify themselves as independents rather than as members of a major party
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electioneering
the process of getting a person elected to office
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Closed Primary
a primary election in which only registered party members may vote
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Open Primary
a primary election in which eligible voters do not need to be registered party members
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Nominating Convention
the formal party gathering to choose candidates
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Soft Money
unregulated campaign contributions by individuals, groups, or parties that promote general election activities but do not directly support individual candidates
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Governing
activites directed toward controlling the distribution of political resources by providing executive and legislative leadership, enacting agendas, mobilizing support, and building coalitions
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Party Discipline
the ability of party leaders to bring party members in the legislature into line with the party program
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Faction
a group of citizens united by some common passion or interest and opposed to the rights of other citizens or to the interests of the whole community
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Interest Group
an organization of individuals who share a common political goal and unite for the purpose of influencing government decisions
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Political Action Committees
the fundraising arms of interest groups
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Super PACs
special PACs that can spend unlimited amounts of money on a candidate's behalf but are not allowed to coordinate their efforts with those of the candidate's campaign
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Collective Action Problem
the difficulty in getting people to work together to achieve a common goal when the solution is costly and no one individual has an incentive to use resources to make it happen
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collective good
a good or service that, by its very nature, cannot be denied to anyone who wants to consume it
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Free Riders
people who refuse to spend time, money, or effort on the collective solution because they can reap the benefits whether they join or not
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Selective Incentives
benefits that are available only to group members as an inducement to get them to join
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Material Benefits
selective incentives in the form of tangible rewards
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Solidary Benefits
selective incentives related to the interaction and bonding among group members
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Expressive Benefits
selective incentives that derive from the opportunity to express values and beliefs and to be committed to a greater cause
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Lobbying
interest group activities aimed at persuading policymakers to support the group's positions
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Economic Interest Groups
groups that organize to influence government policy for the economic benefit of their members
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equal opportunity interest groups
groups that organize to promote the civil and economic rights of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups
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public interest group
groups that organize to influence government to produce collective goods or services that benefit the general public
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Government Interest Groups
groups that organize to represent foreign or domestic governments, and to lobby Congress and the president on their behalf
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Direct Lobbying
direct interaction with public officials for the purpose of influencing policy decisions
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Indirect Lobbying
attempts to influence government policymakers by encouraging the general public to put pressure on them
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Revolving Door
the tendency of public officials, journalists, and lobbyists to move between public and private sector (media, lobbying) jobs
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Issue Advocacy Ads
advertisements that support issues or candidates without telling constituents how to vote
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Social Protest
public activities designed to bring attention to political causes, usually generated by those without access to conventional means of expressing their views
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Grassroots Lobbying
indirect lobbying efforts that spring from widespread public concern
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Astroturf lobbying
indirect lobbying efforts that manipulate or create public sentiment, "astroturf" being artificial grassroots
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Electoral College
an intermediary body that elects the president
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Political Efficacy
citizens' feelings of effectiveness in political affairs
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Regulating the electorate
the process of setting rules that define who can vote and how difficult or easy it will be to cast a ballot in an election
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Motor Voter Act
legislation allowing citizens to register to vote at the same time they apply for a driver's license or other state benefit
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Voting Rights Act of 1965
national civil rights legislation aimed at eliminating racial discrimination in the electoral process
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Voter Mobilization
a party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and to persuade them to vote
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Social Connectedness
citizens' involvement in groups and their relationships to their communities and families
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Prospective Voting
basing voting decisions on well-informed opinions and consideration of the future consequences of a given vote
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Retrospective Voting
basing voting decisions on reactions to past performance; approving the status quo or a desire for change
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Invisible Primary
early attempts to raise money, line up campaign consultants, generate media attention, and get commitments for support even before candidates announce they are running
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Exploratory Committee
a committee formed to determine the viability of one's candidacy for office; activities may include polling, travel, and other communications relevant to the purpose
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Caucus
local gathering of party members to choose convention delegates
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presidential primary
an election by which voters choose convention delegates committed to voting for a certain candidate
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Front-Loading
the process of scheduling presidential primaries early in the primary season
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Front-Runner
the leading candidate and expected winner of a nomination or an election
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Momentum
the widely held public perception that a candidate is gaining electoral strength
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Oppo Research
investigation of an opponent's background for the purpose of exploiting weaknesses or undermining credibility
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Valence Issues
issues on which most voters and candidates share the same position
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Position Issues
issues on which the parties differ in their perspectives and proposed solutions
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Wedge Issue
a controversial issue that one party uses to split the voters in the other party
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Issue Ownership
the tendency of one party to be seen as more competent in a specific policy area
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negative advertising
campaign advertising that emphasized the negative characteristics of opponents rather than one's own strengths
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Government Matching Funds
money given by the federal government to qualified presidential candidates in the primary and general election campaigns
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hard money
campaign funds donated directly to candidates; amounts are limited by federal election laws
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issue advocacy ads
advertisements paid for by soft money, and thus not regulated, that promote certain issue positions but do not endorse specific candidates