Unit 4: Political Ideologies and Beliefs in the United States

American Political Culture

• Various commonly held beliefs, values, and societal norms held by most Americans 

• Help define the relationship we have with the government and among ourselves 

• These values include: 

• Civic Duty - refers to citizen participation in government functions. Voting, military service, serving on a jury, paying taxes 

• American Exceptionalism - rooted in the idea that America is an exceptional place. The idea that America is better than other nations with its history and development. Unique American political culture. 

• Empire of Liberty - the U.S. responsibility to spread the concept of American freedom and self-governance to foreign countries and states 

• Equality under the law, democracy and self- governance, freedom of religion, separation of church and state 

Core American Political Values 

• Equality of Opportunity: The belief that individuals are protected equally under the law and have equal opportunity to achieve their goals regardless of their social backgrounds. 

• Individualism: The belief that Americans have a high degree of individual liberty and choice over decisions in their lives. 

• Rugged Individualism - importance of character traits such as self -reliance and hard work 

• Limited government: The belief that the government should be limited in its authority and not interfere with decisions and the daily lives of individual Americans 

• Rule of Law: The belief that the law applies to each individual equally and that everyone, including elected leaders, can be held accountable for their actions 

• Free Enterprise: The belief that the government should interfere with the economic activity of the nation as little as possible 

Alexis de Tocqueville - Democracy in America 

• French political philosopher who wrote the first major academic study of the various aspects that made up American political culture 

• His overall goal was to explain the success of American democratic society and explore its possible futures and outcomes 

• Noted that: 

• America has a positive view on the idea of a free market economy 

• Any individual who works hard may get ahead 

• Unlike most of Europe, the united states tradition of separating church and state was far more democratic 

• Also criticized: 

• American system of slavery, treatment of native Americans, social status and opportunities of American women 

• All harmed the core principles espoused by the nation’s founders, like liberty and equality under the law 

Consensual v. Conflictual Political Culture 

• Consensual Political Culture: Most people agree on the legitimacy of the nation’s government and support its political decisions, they ultimately agree upon the handling of the government and support its political institutions 

• Conflictual Political Culture: Society is deeply divided over political issues and cannot agree on the political decisions made by the government 

• The United States alternates between periods of consensual and conflictual political culture. During different moments of American history, this fluctuation leads to either periods of political unity or great political divide that results in dire consequences for the nation

Political Ideology 

• Definition: Coherent set of values and beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue (purpose and scope of government), shape the thinking of individuals about the political world 

Liberal v. Conservative

• Conservatives : 

• Support the status quo - want to keep things the same 

• Laissez-Faire - small government would give you the greatest amount of freedom 

• Low Taxation and Government Spending - Less government involvement and power 

• Increase Military Spending and Intervention 

• Order over Freedom 

• Emphasize traditional Values 

• Liberals: 

• Advocate for change 

• Pro-Government - want an active government that seeks to solve the problem 

• High taxation and Social Spending - more Government involvement and power 

• Less Military Spending and Intervention 

• Freedom over Order - value of freedom is more important sometimes than order 

• Accepting of modern values and norms 

American Political Ideology 

• Far Left: 

  • Progressivism - tend to support government action and involvement on social issues; support universal healthcare, stricter regulation, and environmental causes. 

• Left: 

  • Liberalism - relates views like protecting citizens individual freedoms, increase government in addressing societal problems, and ensure equality 

• Center: 

  • Moderates - Views lie in the middle, neither liberal nor conservative; but there are not a lot of people because of Increasing levels of polarization because of division in the nation 

• Right: 

  • Conservatism - Favor laissez-faire economic policies and oppose government involvement in the economy; government spending on social-welfare programs harms the economy, and disagree with woke views 

• Far Right: 

  • Libertarians - want to severely limit how much involvement the government has in our lives, advocate laissez-faire, against government, and believe most of the things the government does could be done differently somewhere else. Basically, let business take care of everything and the government should not care about individuals. However, they support same sex, abortion, etc. because they think the government should mind their business. 

Generalization in American Political Ideology

• Black Americans are more liberal than Hispanics, who are more liberal than whites 

• Older Americans tend to be more conservative than younger Americans 

• Women are more liberal than men 

• Catholic, Jewish and Muslim Americans are more liberal, Protestants are more conservative, the more religious the more likely to be conservative 

• Northeast and West Coast tend to be more liberal, Solid South, Sunbelt, and Midwest tend to be more conservative 

• Urban areas tend to be more liberal, Rural means more conservative 

• More educated Americans tend to be liberal 

• More wealthy Americans tend to be more conservative

Political Socialization

• Definition: Process through which an individual acquires his/her political orientations 

• Include a wide range of influences: teachers, the media, family members, religion, geographic location 

• All these influences combine to shape an individual’s political views, mold political philosophy 

• An individual’s ideology and values developed through political socialization help determine how that individual votes in elections and see the government and its policies

• Impressionable age hypothesis: The theory that most individuals form their core political beliefs between 14 and 24, and major events and influences that take place during those years are critical to socialization 

Political Socialization: Family and Peers

• Family and peers are two of the most important influences on an individual's political socialization - they act as opinion leaders, most family and friend groups hold similar opinion 

• Parents - the direct impact and greatest indicator of future political behavior and party affiliation - model political and civic behavior such as staying informed and voting; teach values and morals 

• Peers - involves the discussion of political positions, contain opinion leaders that help to shape the opinions of the other people in the group, assert peer pressure on its members which leads to, in which the members of a peer group conform to a social conformity

Political Socialization: Media 

• Internet, print, tv, and other media platforms impact political socialization 

• Today,social media is the dominant platform 

• Social media allows people to engage with their friends, family, strangers with similar or opposing political viewpoints, but many users choose to engage only with people who hold similar viewpoints 

• Where people get their news tends to shape their ideology 

• Selective Attention - Confirmation Bias 

• Selective Attention - the choice to only pay attention to things of our choice 

• Confirmation Bias - Bias of confirming what you want to hear - the belief the other person is wrong and we are right 

Political Socialization: Education 

• Schools promote national loyalty and basic American values, teach basics of American Government and history, encourage critical thinking 

• A college education usually teaches critical thinking skills that help individuals evaluate complex information and make connections to other ideas. 

• Education level is a major indicator of an individual’s political socialization and political leanings 

  • Americans with a high school diploma or less trend to be more conservative

  • Those with a four year college degree are more liberal 

  • Those postgraduate degrees tend to be the most liberal 

• The location and type of school also has an influence 

Political Socialization: Other Factors 

• Religion: a religion’s interpretation of political issues can impact socialization.White evangelical Protestant are the most closest ties to conservative politics, while Jewish, Muslim, and religiously unaffiliated groups are most associated with liberal political opinions 

• Social and civic organization: people involved in social and civic organizations are most likely to vote and engage in other forms of political participation; Civic institutions allow individuals to engage in political processes in local communities 

  • Robert Putman, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community - Americans are spending less time in social and civic groups, this further reduces civic engagement, Americans are not interacting with and learning about the political viewpoints other Americans hold

• Geographic region: The American south tends to be conservative, the Northeast and West coast are more liberal 

• Urban vs. rural communities - Urban areas are more liberal and accepting of diverse religious, political, and societal views, while rural areas are more conservative and less accepting of different viewpoints 

• Globalization - the United States increased trade and communication with the world has changed our culture and beliefs

• Political events also shape someone’s political ideology. Political events are external events that shape someone’s party identification or views on the government. Some examples of political events include elections, terrorist attacks, pandemics, wars, recessions, and social movements

• Generational effect - a collective experience shared by a segment of the population that influences their political viewpoints in a similar way. 

Public Opinion 

• Public opinion = how a nation’s population views leaders and public party 

• Information about public opinion comes from polls. 

  • Polls are surveys that measure public opinion by interviewing a portion of the population 

• Public opinion polls - used by government officials to measure the people’s: 

  • Beliefs and/or attitudes 

  • Desires on various political, social, and economic issues 

  • Preferences for presidential or congressional candidates 

• Help to inform elected officials of the support or opposition toward their policy agenda and can help drive the passage of legislation at the state and national levels 

Scientific Polls 

• In order for a poll to be trustworthy it has to be scientific. 

• They meet the following requirements: 

  1. Random Sampling: The idea that a small group of people, selected randomly can represent the whole population 

  2. Representative Sample: For accuracy, a poll must represent the overall population (represent political parties, regions, ethnic or racial groups, and gender fairly), avoid selection bias (when the sample does not represent the population at large) 

  3. Same Size: Pollsters must interview between 1,000 to 1,500 people to get a reliable sample with a low margin of error. This is called a sampling error. Many national polls have a 3 to 4 percent sampling error.

  4. The questions for a poll must be clear, straightforward, and show a neutral perspective. They should not sway (push) the respondent. Vocabulary should be neutral (Affordable Care Act vs. Obamacare) 

  5. Transparency: Polling companies must publish how they obtained the results. When viewing the results of a poll, a critical reader can check the sample size and watch for selection bias and random sampling 

  6. Scientific polls are conducted by Gallup, Harris, Rew Research Center, and most major news outlets 

Type of Polls

• Benchmark Poll: The first poll taken in a campaign season and shows the public's first impression of the candidates  - most important for the candidates 

• Push Poll: A marketing technique, most commonly employed during political campaigning, in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll. 

• Entrance Poll: A poll taken when people are walking in to vote. Tend to be the most accurate polls 

• Tracking Poll: Repeated at regular intervals and tracks people's attitudes over time. Example, weekly tracking polls can be compared to what people think week to week. Also tends to be the most accurate. 

• Exit Poll: Taken immediately after the voters have voted 

Concerns about Polls

• Random Digit Dialing and Cell Phones 

• Whos answers the questions - knowledge 

• Accurately - polls have been proven to be very inaccurate in recent elections 

• Bradley effect - white voters lie and say they will vote for the minority candidate - social desirability bias 

• Boomerang Effect - supporters of a candidate see polls where their candidate is winning and decide not to vote - West Coast and exit polls 

• Bandwagon Effect - people like to win and sometimes will vote a certain way to be winners - if everyone else is voting for this person, I should too idea

How Politicians Use Polls

• Political Campaigns - measure how the candidates perform during debates and the response their position or current events - use to adjust message, reach more voters and increase support 

• Polls help conditions get reelected - measure political opinion before voting on policy - obligation to constituency, competitive reelections 

• Elected officials use polling to gauge public opinion, reach constituents, and track performance 

• Politicians update and amend their messages to better connect with voters 

• Politicians use polls, such as presidential approval ratings, to track performances. Politicians use these polls to change messages, release popular legislation, or address areas of public concern 

• Politicians are more likely to use them to craft messages, not make new policy - listening to the people? 

• Politicians are most likely to use public opinion when it is strong, widespread, and steady; close to election time; and personally affects the people 

The Decision to Not Use a Poll 

• Often, elected officials make decisions or govern in ways that is not consistent with public opinion. This is because elected officials: 

• Might not believe in the trustworthiness of polling data 

• Might view a poll as a passing trend and believe that public opinion will change on the issue 

• Might believe that although most people in the country want a particular policy, the constituents of the official's districts want the opposite 

• Are concerned about voting record - monetary support form interest groups and flip flops (someone changes their mind) 

• Are concerned about their party leadership (Whips, Committee Assignments, Finance) 

• May oppose using polling data because their political or moral ideology is against the majority opinion

• Might believe the issue is more complicated or nuanced than the public realizes

Political Parties

• The United States has a two - party system 

• Democrats and Republicans are formed loosely around ideologies - there are times where they do not follow their parties ideologies 

• Broad range of ideas and interest in both parties 

• Democrats tend to be more liberal, and Republicans tend to be more conservative 

• Independents are Americans that do not align with a party 

• Blue states support Democrats. Red states support Republicans 

Modern Democratic Party

• Larger Federal Government more responsible to the people 

• Progressive Taxation and government spending supports social programs 

• Demand-side economics/ Keynesian economics 

• Health care is a right - public opinion or government sponsored 

• Health care is a right - public option or government sponsored

• Increase federal government’s role in education

• Increase federal regulation of business - living wage, support labor unions

• Climate Change - Invest in discovering alternate and renewable sources of energy, regulate environmental protection against pollution and climate change

• Path to legalization for undocumented immigrants,immigration reform

• Reduce Military spending - focus on diplomacy and to use that money for things needed

• Support abortion rights, the LGBTQ+ community and racial equity,support criminal justice reform

• Pro gun control and against the death penalty

Modern Republican Party (GOP)

• Small Federal Government - more power to states and/or people- Downsize and Deregulate

• Reduce Taxes and Government spending - welfare

• Supply side economics (Business) - fiscal conservatism

• Privatize Health Care, social security

• Local Control of Education - school choice - believe in the say of the curriculum and what their children should learn

• Decrease government regulation of business -minimum wage, environment

• Immigration Reform (more restrictions), Border Security, No Amnesty

• Exploration of national lands for energy

• Increase Military Spending - Strength in Foreign Policy

• Support religious values and freedom - Pro-life, against gay union and marriages r businesses right to deny serving

• Support the Second Amendment - against gun control,pro death penalty

Party Identification

• Democrats:

  • Northeast, West Coast, and Urban

  • Women

  • Latin and Black Americans

  • Young and Old

  • Lawyers, educators, blue collar, labor unions

  • Poor

  • advanced degrees

  • Catholics, Jews

  • Divorced, Widowed,Single

• Conservatives:

  • South Midwest, and Rural

  • Men

  • Whites and Cubans

  • Middle Ages

  • Executives, Professionals,white collar

  • Rich

  • High school degree

  • protestants

  • married

Liberation Party

• Third Largest political party in the United States today

• Very conservative - believe in complete individual freedoms

• Repeal personal and corporate income taxes

• Want to replace all government services with services in the private sector (except the military)

• Repeal all regulations (minimum wage,civil rights,environment) -all trade should be free

• Opposes all censorship - supports the right to bear arms, the right to an abortion, and freedom of speech and the press

• Repeal victims crime laws - gambling, prostitution drug use

Economic and Social Policy

• Liberals and Conservatives disagree on the best government approach to sustaining economic growth

• The United States has a mixed market economy - how much free market vs. how much government intervention

  • Fiscal policy

  • Monetary policy

  • Social Welfare policy

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