DEFINING PUBLIC OPINION

DEFINING PUBLIC OPINION

  • Public opinion deals with citizens attitudes about political issues, leaders, instutions, and events.

  • What do you think about government matters, and how you think about institutions and issues is a results of many contributing factors.

  • Democracy lets its citizens have opinions on all aspects of government and citizens get toexercisse those opinions at elections.

  • Values play an important role in crafting your opinion on governmental issues.

  • Values are not all rooted in rooted in politics. However, many values can crosscut government issues.

  • Remember, while Americans generally agree on their board values where they differ is the application of those values.

  • Once you start constructing your value system, and finding those overlapping points of values and politics, you begin to create your political ideology.

  • As Americans, we tend to identify with one of two main political ideologies, conservativism and liberalism. This is different than party affliation !

  • Conservatives generally believe that federal government should remain limited in its size and involvement, with large government pote​​ntially threatening individual interests and the free market economy.

  • Prefer local solutions to issues rather thann federal government involvement.

  • Low tax rates, low spending rates, low regulations on businesses.

  • International affairs is a divisive point in conservative ideologies, as greater international involvement can increase opportunity, while also creating entanglements.

  • Liberalism. in the American definition favors more government involvement in society to create and ensure a fairer system of opportunity.

  • Higher spending on social programs and safety nets, increased taxation.

  • Promote scientific investments and place focus on environment.

  • Ensure protections  for minority communities and the decrease of discriminatory practices.

  • Approve of regulations on businesses to ensure fair practices in an open market.

  • International assistance to foreign countries involvement in global alliances/organizations.


  • Conservativism and liberalism lie along an ideological spectrum that encompasses many different ideologies outside these two sphere.

  • The American interpretation of these ideologies can aslo lie at different points along the spectrum outside their traditional definitions, or other countries interpretations of these ideologies.

  • At the edges of American conservatism and liberalism are libertarianism and democratic socialism, respectively.

  • Liberalism is a degree of conservatism that advocates for as small a government that is possible, arguing that the market ( and people) will regulate themselves.

  • Democratic socialism is a degree of liberalism that argues for more government involvement to reduce inequality.

Americans who identify ideologically as liberals or moderates are recently on the rise comparatively to those who identify as conservatives.

Those who identify as conservatives and moderates, however, are generally higher than those who identify as liberals.

Ideology is based off politics, and who you vote for does not have to align with your ideology.