AP Government - Unit 4 Review

American Attitudes About Government and Policies

• Five core values:
  • Individualism: Emphasis on resilience and independence, less community-oriented.
  • Equal Opportunity: Belief that every American deserves equal opportunity regardless of race, gender, sex, or religion.
  • Free Enterprise: Laissez-faire economics, minimal government intervention.
  • Rule of Law: All citizens are equal under the law.
  • Limited Government: Defined separations of power, checks, and balances.

Conservatives vs. Liberals

• Conservatives:
  • Cherish established institutions and seek to preserve them.
  • Desire to maintain social rules and identity.
  • Advocate for smaller government and services.
  • Self-centered, prioritizing individual interests.
  • Believe in meritocracy, where individuals work their way up.
  • Support a free market with minimal government intervention.
  • Believe laws, especially the Constitution, embody equality.
  • Prioritize state and federal government.
• Liberals:
  • Push for reforms to make society more just and equal.
  • Focus on societal interests above individual ones.
  • Support meritocracy with consideration of starting conditions.
  • Advocate for government intervention to ensure safety and equality.
  • Emphasize unequal protections of laws and minority groups.
  • Want more government intervention overall.

Political Socialization

• Definition: How individuals obtain social ideologies.
  • Factors:
    • Family: Children often hold similar ideologies as their families.
    • Schools: Classes and teachers influence beliefs.
    • Peers: Conformity to group ideologies influences individual views.
    • Media: Algorithms on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok shape political views.

Changes in Ideology

• Cultural Factors:
  • Generation: Voting behavior and political ideology are influenced by generational events.
    • Silent Generation: Adhered to traditional gender roles.
    • Baby Boomers: Sought changes and reforms.
    • Gen X & Gen Z: Diverse political patterns.
  • Political Events: Significant events influence ideology.
    • Recessions/Great Depression: Led to increased government intervention in the economy.

Measuring Public Opinions

• Scientific Rigor: Essential for reliable polls.
  • Free from bias questions.
  • Small, randomized groups.
  • Generalized results.
• Types of Polls:
  • Opinion Poll: Gauges opinions on specific topics to help candidates prioritize policies.
  • Benchmark Poll: Assesses a candidate's standing.
  • Tracking Poll: Conducted over time to monitor changes in opinion.
  • Entrance/Exit Poll: Determines how people voted.
• Samples:
  • Representative of a larger population.
  • Random: Everyone in the population has an equal chance of being included.
  • Sampling Error: Chance that the sample does not accurately represent the population; plus or minus three is generally considered good.
• Survey Methodology:
  • Mass Survey: Quantitative data from a large number of people.
  • Focus Group: Qualitative data from a small group.
• Evaluating Public Opinion Data:
  • Credibility: Not all data is reliable.
  • Bandwagon Effect: People align with perceived winners.

Polling Failures

• 2016 Election (Clinton vs. Trump):
  • Clinton won popular vote, but Trump won the election.
  • Reasons:
    • Social Desirability Bias: Giving socially acceptable answers.
    • Non-Response Bias: People decline to participate.

Ideologies of Political Parties

• Political Ideologies: Set of ideas forming the basis of political decision-making.
• Conservative Ideology:
  • Traditional social structure.
  • Limit government intervention.
• Liberal Ideology:
  • Emphasizes civil rights and reform.
  • Supports justice.
  • Favors expanding government.
• Impact on Policy:
  • Policies reflect beliefs of voters.
  • Higher voter turnout increases the likelihood of preferred policies being enacted.
• Economic Policy:
  • Liberals: More inclined to government intervention.
  • Libertarians: Absolutely no governmental regulation.

Fiscal vs. Monetary Policy

• Fiscal Policy: Decisions about government spending and taxation (controlled by Congress).
• Monetary Policy: Decisions about the amount of money in the economy (controlled by the Federal Reserve).
  • Tools: Buying/selling government bonds, setting reserve requirements, and interest rates.
• Economic Policies:
  • Conservatives: Supply-side economics (increasing goods and services through minimal government intervention).
  • Liberals: Keynesian economics (government intervention during economic downturns like recessions).
  • Conservatives favor monetary policy, while liberals find it too slow.