dominant political beliefs

public opinion

1. public opinion is the reflection of everyones attitudes

2. politicians can lead public opinion but they also follow it

3. consists of “those opinions held by private person which governments find it prudent to heed”

4. public opinion has always been treated as a poitical force that could be manipulated

5. scientific polling

   1. devoted to sounding out the public on an endless array of issues

   2. most reliable tool to investigrating the opinions of regular people

6. public relations

   1. marketing ideas, policies and politicians

7. infleucnes and determinants of public opinion

   1. attitudes

      1. causes people to react in a certain way

   2. ideologies

      1. combine attitudes linked more by coalitional politics than by principle ideological lables

      2. liberals

         1. favor using gove to reduce economic inequalities, increase rights of disadvantaged groups and more socially acceptable

      3. conservantive

         1. distrust government, have more faith in private enterprise and free markets. more willing to use gov to enfoce traditional moral standards, more favor their own wealth than others

      4. most people are somewhat both liberals and conservatives

   3. partisanship

      1. party identification seen as a psychological phenomenon - an identity

         1. short term conflicts may lead ppl to disagree with their party but it wont let them change their identity

      2. choose party based on the world that they want to live in

      3. responses to political actions and events have increases polarization among party lines

      4. confirmation bias plays into how ppl look at information

   4. aquiring attitudes and ideologies

      1. comes from person experience and goriwng up and media

      2. also based on how the president is doing

   5. infromation

      1. people don’t know their political facts

         1. varies with availability of free information about them

   6. framing

      1. context define the question whcih then determines which attitude governs the response

political attitudes

Political attitudes refer to individual views on political issues, institutions, leaders, and policies. These attitudes are shaped by multiple factors, including personal experiences, background, and external influences such as media or political leaders. The following factors play a key role:

1. Measuring Public Opinion:

   • Public opinion is a collective measure of political attitudes. Although it appears straightforward, the accuracy of measuring it can be challenging. While larger sample sizes in surveys tend to increase accuracy, beyond a certain point, increasing the sample size leads to diminishing returns in precision.

2. Meaningfulness of Public Opinion:

   • Public opinion is generally stable, indicating that people's political attitudes are shaped by deeper values and beliefs. Cyclical changes in public opinion occur when people shift between liberal and conservative views in response to changing societal or political conditions.

3. Opinion Leadership:

   • Political attitudes are often guided by opinion leaders, individuals who provide coherence and rationality to public opinion. These leaders influence people's political stances by offering clear guidance on complex issues.

political ideologies

Political ideologies are structured sets of beliefs about the role of government, social structures, and policies. They serve as a framework that guides political attitudes and actions:

1. Current Public Opinion on Ideologies:

   • People's opinions about democratic institutions often reflect underlying beliefs that may conflict. For example, democracy and capitalism are often seen as incompatible by some, as capitalism can create inequalities that democracy aims to mitigate.

   • In the U.S., people largely support democratic ideals but often express dissatisfaction with political leaders and the functioning of government, as seen in rising distrust following major events like the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the 2000 Supreme Court decision in the presidential election.

2. Economic Ideologies:

   • Ideologically, many Americans support an increased role of government in managing economic affairs, with support for social programs like Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance rooted in programs like the New Deal and Great Society.

3. Social and Moral Issues:

   • Social issues (e.g., abortion, LGBTQ+ rights) often raise conflicting considerations that make them difficult to reconcile ideologically. For example, the June 24, 2022 Supreme Court ruling (6-3) overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of established abortion rights, highlighting deep ideological divides.

4. Foreign Policy:

   • Public opinion on foreign policy is heavily influenced by opinion leaders, with the president often being the most important voice. However, the president’s influence depends on whether other key opinion leaders (e.g., media, Congress) align with them.

political socialization

Political socialization refers to the lifelong process through which individuals acquire political attitudes, beliefs, and values. This process is shaped by various social factors:

1. Effects of Background on Public Opinion:

   • Race and Ethnicity: Shared experiences of racial and ethnic groups can lead to similar political ideologies. For instance, minorities often support policies that promote equal opportunity.

   • Gender: The gender gap in party identification has grown, with women more likely to support policies related to social welfare, environmental protection, and regulation. Women are generally more skeptical about the use of violence in both foreign and domestic policy.

   • Income and Education: People with lower incomes tend to favor government intervention in economic matters, while those with higher education levels tend to align with liberal outcomes on social and cultural issues.

   • Religion: Religious beliefs strongly shape political values, especially regarding social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. Partisanship often correlates with religious affiliation, as seen in the political behavior of evangelical voters.

   • Other Demographic Divisions: Younger voters tend to be more liberal on both social and economic issues. Urban residents and those living near coastal areas also lean more liberal, particularly on cultural matters.

2. Political Institutions and Leadership:

   • Public opinion is shaped not only by personal experiences but also by political leaders and institutions. While these leaders do not control public opinion, they influence it by providing information and framing issues in ways that resonate with people's existing beliefs.

political identities

Political identities refer to the ways individuals align themselves with certain groups, movements, or ideologies based on shared experiences or characteristics:

1. Partisanship and Identity:

   • Political identities often align with party identification, which is influenced by factors like race, gender, religion, and socioeconomic status. For instance, the increasing gender gap in party affiliation reflects deeper divisions in political values and priorities.

2. Generational Divides:

   • Political identities vary across generations, with younger voters generally adopting more liberal stances on issues like climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, and economic justice, while older generations may adhere to more conservative views.

3. Regional Differences:

   • Geography also plays a role in shaping political identities. People living in urban areas or coastal regions tend to have more progressive views, while those in rural areas often lean conservative.

other notes

1. measuring public opinion

   1. hard to measure although it sounds simple in concept

   2. larger the sample more acurate itll be but bigger sample size accuracy declines

2. public opinion meaningful?

   1. distribution of public opinion tends to be highly stable

      1. suggests that public opinion is responsive to ppls ideas about policy

   2. substantial changes in distribution of public opinion = historical trends or repsonses to changed conditions

   3. cyclical changes in public opinion = opinion switching through liberal and conservative

3. opinion leadership

   1. public opinion is given rationality and coherence by the opinion leader

   2. rises naturally as ppl respond to different incentives

4. current public opinion

   1. public opinion reflects ppl underlying values and beliefs about how the world should be

   2. opinions about democractic instuttions

      1. ppk will hold political values and beliefs that’ll clash

      2. democracy and capitalism are not compatable

   3. opinions about government

      1. americans approve the US political system and its symbols but dislike the ppl they elect to run

      2. ppl distrust in government has increased signficantly

         1. vietname war, watergate scandal, george bush, supreme court interference with 200 presidental election

   4. opinions on issues

      1. economic issues

         1. ppl want larger government role in managing economic affairs

            1. new deal

            2. great society program

         2. ppl support stable or increased gov spending on things that serve or eventually will nearly everyone

            1. social security, medicare, unemployment insurence, etc

      2. social, cultural and moral issues

         1. most of these issues raise conflicting considerations that are difficult to reconcile

      3. foregin policy

         1. public opinion is responsive to opinion leadership

            1. president being most important opinion leader however their influence depdns on whether other opinoin leaders agree with them

5. effects of background on public opinion

   1. race and ethnicity

      1. ppl support equal opportunity for all kinds of ppl

         1. shared sense of experience bring groups together with same ideologies

   2. gender

      1. gendergap in party identification is larger than i has been

      2. wome support use of violence in foregin and domestimc policiy, social welfare spending, regulations protecting envrionemtn, consumers and children

   3. income

      1. economic self interest

         1. lower income ppl more willing to spend more on government services

   4. education

      1. june 24 2022 6-3 ruling

         1. supreme court ended nearly 50 years of abortion rights

         2. overturned roe vs wade that was set in 1972

      2. higher education side more with liberal outcomes

   5. relgion

      1. relgious beleifs hsape psycholocial attachemnts and values, including many values ppl pursue through political action

      2. partisanship tied to relgious identification

   6. other demographic dividison

      1. younger voters more liberal than elders on social and economic issues

      2. city dweelers more liberal

      3. ppl live near coasts more liberal on cultural issues

6. public opinion

   1. individual opinions become public opinion only when aggregated and organizations do the aggreagting

   2. indiviual opinions are shaped by and expressed through leaders and instutions

      1. they dont control public opinion

         1. ppl choose who to follow

   3. basic political orientations are resistent to change

   4. public is heavily divided along party lines