unit 2: american political ideologies and beleifs

unit 4 on the ap exam

what is political culture?

the widely-shared belief, vlaues, and norms that citizens share about their government

what are the 5 core american political values?

individualism, equality of opportunity, free entreprise (capitalism), rule of law, limited government

what is individualism?

a belief in the fundamental worth and importance of the individual

what are some examples/ideas of individualism?

inalienable rights and popular sovereignty

what is equal of opportunity?

equal rights to all citizens to pursue life, liverty, and happiness

what are some examples of equal of opportunity?

“all men are created equal” and 14th Amendment: equal protection clause

what is free enteprise?

an economic system in which gov’t intrudes as little as possible and relies on the free market

what is rule of law?

the principle that no one, including public official is above the law

what is an example of rule of law?

checks & balances

what is limited gov’t?

government that has systems in place to not be overreaching

what is political socialization?

the process by which we develop our political values and opinions that become our political ideology

what is political ideology?

a coherent set of beliefs about the governement

what are some factors that influence political ideology?

family, school & culture, peers, the media, social environments, and location

what is the generational effect?

the impact of historical events experienced by a generation and how ideology is shaped by them

what is a prime example of generational effect?

distrust in the government that causes them to change their political views

what is life cycle effect?

the impact of a person’s age and stage in ideology

what’s an example of life cycle effect?

younger people tend to be more democratic while older people tend to be more republican

is life cycle event and generational effect the same?

no

what do we know from polling?

americans aren’t fully well informed about some political issues but yet they hold a strong opinion about it, party preference, and political ideology

what is a focus group?

a small group of individuals assembled for a conversation about specific issues

what is a scientific poll?

a strong poll that follows the following requirements: sample, random selection, representative sample, and sample error

what is a sample?

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

what is the an accurate mass survery around?

1,500

what is random selection?

a method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that doesn’t over or under represent any group of population

what is a representative sample?

a sample that reflects the demographics of the population (universe)

what is sampling error?

the margin of error in a poll

what’s a good margin of error?

plus or minus 3%

what is a straw poll?

unscientific survey used to gauge public opinion (raising hands)

what is an entrance survey?

a poll conducted of people who are coming into an event

what is an exit poll

a survey conducted at polling place after individuals have voted, asking who or what individuals voted for and why

what is a benchmark poll?

first poll conducted by candidate before they declare candidacy to learn about their chances of winning as well as issues that are important

what is tracking poll?

“tracks” level of support for a candidate or isssue over the length of a campaign

what is the honeymoon effect?

ratings starting high at the beginning of the term

what is the rally around the flag affect?

in terms of crisis, approval ratings increase

what is random digit dialing?

uses telephone #’s randomly generated by computer to select respondents

what is weighting?

changing the value of different responses based on the demographics of the person

what is the bradley effect?

inaccurate poll results due to social desirability bias

what is question order?

the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls

what is question wording?

the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll

what is the bandwagon effect?

when citizens support a candidate because the individuals is in the lead

what is a push poll?

a negative campaign tactic meant to skew or push a respondents opinions

what is the gender gap?

the difference between how men and women vote

what is political ideology?

refers to one’s belief about political goals and the role of government

what is conservatism?

an ideology that wants, fewer regulation on businesses and less government interference in the conomy

what is liberatarianism?

an ideology favoring very little gov’t regulation and intervention beyond protecting private and individual liberty

what is liberalism?

more acceptable to change & more gov’t involvement in economy like fixing social issues

what is public policy?

how the gov’t responds to problems to support the public

what is free market (laissez faire)?

no gov’t intervention in the economy

what is command economy?

high levels of gov’t intervention

what is mixed economy?

gov’t internvetion in markets with mix of state and private ownership

what is the keynesianism theory?

gov’t should be involved to fix the economy ($$ to consumers)

what is the supply-side theory?

gov’t should leave as much of the money supply to the people to let the markets govern the markets ($$ to producers)

what is fiscal policy?

govn’t use of taxes and spending to attempt to lower unemployment, support economy grwoth, and stabilize the economy

what is the monetary policy?

actions by the federal reserve to try and fix (regulate) the economy

what is trickle-down economics?

the wealthy job creators benefiting intiial and then spend which creates jobs

what is economic recession?

decreased economic output, lower consumer demand, and higher unemployment

what is the federal reserve system?

the central bank of the u.s. to establish a monetary system that could respond effectively to stresses in the banking system

what is social policy?

a plan or action of government or institutional agencies which aim to improve and/or reform society

what is mediaid

a federal program that provides healthcare for the poor