AP Gov. Unit 4

Liberal

Liberal

more likely to change with the times; supports using taxes to help the poor (ex. gov services); supports liberties over order

Conservative

slow to change; favors less gov involvement in econ + services; favors order over liberties

Individualism

individuals interests above the group; perusing own self-interest with little gov interference.

Equality of Opportunity

agrees that gov should help through laws/policy to create a level playing field for everyone

Free Enterprise

“laissez faire“ approach in the econ (it would sort itself out by the decisions of consumers and producers)

Rule of Law

gov makes laws that apply to ALL equally no mater their position (ex. pres, goc leaders etc)

Limited Gov

believes in limited government interference

Political Socialization

the process by which someone develops their political opinions/beliefs. Family is the most impactful influence.

Lifecycle effects

all the things that happen in your life that change your thoughts on things (ex. early childhood, marriage, retirement). Generally we get more conservative as we age.

Generational effects

Things that happen to a specific generation that has a lasting impact (ex. Millennials and 9/11 or Silent Gen and WWII)

Public Opinion Polls

gauges attitudes on issues/candidates

Benchmark Polls

taken before announcing who’s being the candidates to measure support

Tracking Polls

measures where people stand heading into an election

Entrance and Exit Polls

taken on election day to try and predict who will win

Focus Groups

Gain insight from like 10-40 people to get in-depth conversations and takes.

Representative Sample

small group that reps a larger one

Random Sampling

using a computer to randomize phone #’s and remove bias

Weighing/Stratification

making sure that demographic groups are properly represnented

What is a good # of people to have in a poll?

at least 900

What is a good margin of error for a poll?

± 3%

Push Poll

pushes certain viewpoints, considered bias (big on social media and in special interest groups, also campaigns themselves will do them)

Media Influence

“for-profit industry“ meaning they will do almost anything.

Bandwagon

Shift in support/opinions depending on what polls say

Horse Racing

predicting election based on polling data

Social Acceptability Bias

voters might not say who they voted for because they are like lo key embarrassed

Bradley Effect

polls will show favor with candidates from minority groups, but the actual results of the election might not reflect that

Non-Response Bias

not all people do polls or speak out, this makes it so the louder people will be perceived as the public opinion

Ideology

set of ideas and beliefs

Saliency

divisive issues that are very important to a party/group

Democrat

supports more liberal issues… ex. healthcare and assistance for the poor, women’s rights, LGBT, Environment etc…

Republican

supports more conservative issues… ex. limit assistance for poor, traditional family & religion, protections for big business

Libertarian

do what you want no gov to tell you what to do. Extremely limited gov. Conserv. on econ, liberal on social/moral

Populist

stereotypically midwest/country, lower income, uneducated. conserv. on social, liberal on econ.

Progressive

typically urban residents, they challenge gov and big business corruption. conserv. on not much, liberal on most everything

Keynesian Economics

Gov. should help to keep econ regulated.

Supply-Side Economics

like Reganomics. laissez faire approach

16th Amendment

allows congress to tax peoples incomes

Fiscal Policy

part of econ policy that is concerned with gov spending and taxation