AP Gov Unit 4 Class Notes Flashcards

4.1 - American Attitudes About Government and Politics

  • Political Ideology

    • Consistent set of values of beliefs about the purpose and scope of government

  • Conservative

    • Favors traditional American Values, respect for authority, law and order, and national defense

  • Liberal

    • Progressive; favors an active government role in regulating the economy and promoting equality 

  • Libertarian 

    • Favors very limited government, promotes individual freedom that should only be limited when it impedes on another person's rights 

  • Populist

    • Strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups 

Social issues

  • Pro-life/Pro-choice

  • Immigration

  • Same Sex Marriage

  • Discrimination

  • Homelessness

  • Gender Issues

  • 2nd Amendment 

  • Drugs 

Economic issues

  • Inflation/Unemployment

  • Foreign Relations

  • Taxes

  • Debt 

  • Property Rights

Core Values

  • Individualism

    • Personal responsibility: Individuals should take responsibility for themselves and the decisions they make

  • Equality of Opportunity

    • Not of outcome

  • Free enterprise

    • Market-based economy where people can choose what to buy, sell, and produce with some regulation

  • Rule of law

    • All people are subject to the law

  • Limited Government

    • Governmental power is restricted by the Constitution


4.2 - Political Socialization

  • The process by which people acquire their political beliefs and ideology

  • Family is the main source 


Globalization

  • Has spread American culture and values throughout the world

  • Has increased immigration and diversity in the US 


4.3 - Changes in Ideology

Lifecycle effects

  • The variety of physical, social, and psychological changes people go through as they age

  • People focus on different issues at different points in life

Generational effects

  • Different voting patterns and political beliefs for people in different generations 

    • Millennials are much more liberal than previous generations

  • Major Political Events

    • Can influence political attitudes for life

    • Impressional-age hypothesis

      • Hypothesis that most people forge their political attitude between the ages of 14-24

      • Great depression, WW2

      • 1960s Civil Rights Era, Counterculture

      • 9/11, War on Terror, Great Recession

4.5 - Measuring Public Opinion

  • Public opinion polls

    • Surveys with samples of citizens used to estimate beliefs and feeling of entire population

    • Types:

      • Benchmark polls

        • Used by a campaign before declaring candidacy

      • Tracking polls

        • Over a time period to track issues or support for a candidate

      • Entrance and Exit polls

        • Outside polling places on election day to predict election results

  • Four Factors

    • Knowledge of topic

      • Responses to questions about topics a person doesn’t know about aren’t reliable

    • Wording of question (neutral or biased)

    • Questions that focus only on benefits

    • Opinions aren’t stable, they change over time 

  • “States are laboratories of Democracy” - George Washington probably

  • Entrance and Exit Polls

    • Polls conducted as voters arrive/leave polling places on election day

    • Used to predict the election outcome, to gain insight into voter behavior, and to analyze how various demographic groups voted 

  • Opinion Polls 

    • A survey of public opinion using a sample of the population 

  • Benchmark Polls 

    • Generally, the first poll taken by a campaign, often taken before the candidate announces candidacy

      • Used to find out where candidate stands before any campaigning, strengths, weaknesses, and what type of voters to focus 

  • Tracking Polls 

    • Continuous polls used to chart a candidate’s daily rise or drop in support

  • Focus groups

    • Small groups of citizens (10-40) gathered to discuss issues or candidates 

      • Less scientific than polls, but allows for deeper insight into a topic

  • Population - The full group from which the population is sampled

  • Random Sample- Any person in a group has the same change of being selected

  • Stratified Sample - Population is divided into subgroups and weighted based on population demographics

  • Sampling Error - A polling error arising from using a sample of the population

  • Margin of Error - The percent of result that could be the result of chance variation

    • ±3%

  • Sample Size - For the US about 1000 people is sufficient

4.6 - Evaluating Public Opinion Data

  • Public opinion & political influence 

    • Media focuses heavily on polls during elections may create a bandwagon effect for candidates leading polls

    • Politicians use polling to: 

      • Determine level of support a particular policy has

      • Identify which issues are most important to constituents

      • Tweaks positions on issues 

      • Help with campaign strategy

    • Quality and Credibility of polling

      • If a poll is scientifically valid, as discussed in the previous topic, its results may be relatively credible, within a margin of error

      • What are the elements of a scientifically valid opinion or poll?

        • Sample size, neutral, question order, stratified sample, random sample

      • Reliable - consistent, repeatable

      • Veracity - Accurate Correct

4.7 - Ideologies of Political Parties

  • The Three Language of Politics

    • Conservatives, liberals, and libertarians each have distinctive ways that they see and speak about the world. They each speak their own language and don”t understand the languages of the other ideologies

    • Conservatives see things as a battle between Civilization and Barbarism

    • Liberals view issues as a struggle between the Oppressor and the Oppressed (Marxist Ideologies)

    • Libertarians think of things on a scale of Liberty to Coercion

    • Ex. Black lives Matter = each has dif ideas

  • Democratic Party Coalition 

    • Young voters ( 18 - 44)

    • Racially Diverse

    • Women

    • LGBTQ

    • Secular

    • Jewish, Muslim 

    • Less than high school

    • Post-Grad education 

    • Urban/City

    • Income <70,000 

  • Democratic Party Platform (2016)

    • Takes “planks” (issues), form a platform based on planks, put together at a convention 

    • Aligns more closely to liberal ideological positions

    • Decrease defense spending

    • Increase spending on public schools, don’t support vouchers for private schools 

      • Don’t support vouchers

    • Increase social welfare programs

    • Target tax cuts to lower and middle class; increase taxes on wealthier Americans

    • Support gun control measures

    • Pro-Choice

    • Support the Environmental Protection Agency 

  • Republican Party Coalition

    • Middle aged/older voters

    • White

    • Male

    • evangelical/christian conservatives

    • Income >$75,000

    • Southern, Midwestern

    • White collar (college degree, someone who has salary, 

    • Veterans

  • Republican Party Platform

    • Increase defense spending

    • Decease money spent on social welfare programs 

    • Decrease money spend on public education, increase access to vouchers for private schools, cut taxes, oppose gun regulations

    • Pro-life

    • Oppose environmental regulations 


4.8 - Ideology and Policy Making

  • 1933-1968

    • Social Security, FDIC and Fannie Mae, Civil Rights Act of 1964, 24th Amendment, Voting Rights Act of 1965, Medicare and Medicaid, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Liberal Supreme Court era rulings that expanded civil rights, the rights of the accused, and the power of the federal government

  • 1981 - Present

    • Republican Party has been much stronger during this era, esp at the state level, and major public policies generated during this era include:

      • An increase in defense spending

      • Reagan Tax cuts in 1981 and 1986

      • Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996

      • Bush Tax Cuts in 2001 and 2003

      • Patriot Act

      • Bipartisan Campaign Act of 2002

  • Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996

    • Replaced Aid To Families With Dependent Children With Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF - Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) as the nation’s new welfare program

    • People can only receive TANF benefits for up to 60 months (5 years) in their lifetime or 24 consecutive months (2 years)

    • TANF instituted work requirements, decreased the number of people receiving welfare, and gave states more control over the program by making it a block grant program

      • Bill Clinton = moderate democrat 

      • Compromise between Presidential Party and opposing party (dems & reps vise versa)

  • DREAM Act

    • Bill that never gets signed into law

    • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) = executive order 

  • Debate over making English the official language 

    • No National Language in US until Executive Order 14224 (2025)

4.9 - Ideology and Economic Policy

  • Most countries own their own airline

    • U.S. is special because dolla dolla for stockholders

  • Liberal Economic Ideologies

    • Increased government regulation of the marketplace

    • Higher taxes for the rich

    • Increased government spending to promote social and economic equality

    • Favor social programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

  • Conservative Economic Ideologies

    • Fewer regulation of the marketplace

    • Lower taxes for middle class and higher income

    • Don't favor government spending to promote social and economic equality

    • Lukewarm support for old age programs and oppose support for the poor 

  • 401K -> Portion of paycheck goes into collection, tax free, apart of tax code 

  • Liberal Economic Ideologies

    • Little or no regulation beyond protection of property rights

    • Limited Government

    • Role of government should be limited to protect property rights

  • Keynesian Economics

    • Government should stimulate the economy during recessions by spending money to encourage economic growth

      • Deficit spending is ok

      • Typically favored by Democrats

  • Supply-Side economics

    • Government should stimulate the economy by cutting taxes to encourage businesses to grow and taxpayers to spend more money 

      • Private industries lead the economy

      • Okay with deficits

      • Typically favored by republicans