AP Gov Review Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

  • Core American Values
    • Individualism - each person is responsible for themselves
    • Equality of opportunity - each person has an opportunity to succeed however equality of outcomes is not guaranteed
    • Free enterprise - an economic system based mostly on markets and freedom of people to choose what to buy and sell
    • Rule of law - no person is above the law
    • Limited government - governmental power is limited by the Constitution
  • Political Attitudes and Socialization
    • Political socialization - the process of a person obtaining their political ideology (family and parents, peers, education, media, religion)
    • Globalization - U.S. political culture has influenced and been influenced by the values of other countries
    • Generational effects - different voting patterns and political beliefs for people in different generations
    • Lifecycle effects - people focus on different issues at different points in life
    • Major political events - During young adulthood major political events influence attitudes and beliefs
  • Public Opinion Polling
    • Types of polls
    • Opinion poll - a poll to measure public opinion on a particular issue
    • Benchmark poll - used to find out where a candidate stands before any campaigning (helps them learns strength and weaknesses and what issues)
    • Tracking poll - continuous poll to chart changes in opinion over time
    • Entrance/exit poll - taken as people enter or exit polling places on election day, used to predict election outcome, gain insight into voter behavior and to analyze how different demographic groups voted
    • Elements of a scientific poll
    • Random sample - all persons in the population have an equal chance of being selected
    • Stratified sample - population is divided into subgroups and weighted based on population demographics
    • Sampling error - a polling error arising from using only a sample of a population (acceptable margin of error is 2%-3%)
    • Wording of question - must be neutral and unbiased can’t lead respondents toward a certain answer
    • Type and format of question - open-ended, multiple choice, etc.
  • American Political Ideologies
    • Marketplace
    • Conservative - less economic regulation
    • Liberal - more economic regulation
    • Libertarian - little or no regulation beyond protection of property rights
    • Taxation
    • Conservative - lower taxes
    • Liberal - higher taxes on those with higher incomes
    • Libertarian - minimal taxation
    • Government spending
    • Conservative - cut government spending on entitlement programs to promote social and economic equality (Medicaid, Medicare, social security)
    • Liberal - favor government spending on entitlement programs to promote social and economic spending
    • Libertarian - dramatic decrease in government spending including entitlement programs
    • Military, crime and punishment
    • Conservative - increase defense spending, more police, more punishment on crime
    • Liberal - decrease defense spending, protecting the rights of the accused
    • Libertarian - favor a dramatic reduction in defense spending, decriminalization of victimless crimes, protect right of the accused
    • Privacy and social freedoms
    • Conservative - government should protect traditional values even if this intrudes on individual freedoms
    • Liberal - government should not regulate personal private matters
    • Libertarian - government should not regulate personal private matters
    • Education and religion
    • Conservative - support vouchers to attend private schools including religious schools
    • Liberal - support public education, oppose vouchers especially those that can be used to attend religious schools
    • Libertarian - favor privatization of education and expended school choice
    • Liberty and order
    • Conservative - favor social order
    • Liberal - favor social liberty
    • Libertarian - favor social liberty
  • Ideology and Economic Policies
    • Keynesian economics - government should stimulate the economy during recessions (high unemployment/falling GDP) by increasing government spending to encourage economic activity (Liberal)
    • Supply-side economics - government should stimulate the economy during recessions by cutting taxes and encourage businesses to grow and taxpayers to spend more money (Conservative)
    • Fiscal policy - government tax and spending policies conducted by congress and the president
    • Monetary policy - conducted by the federal reserve, controls the money supply and interest rates are inversely related
    • Federal Reserve - independent regulatory commission known as the central bank in charge of monetary policy
    • To lower unemployment: increase the money supply and lower interest rate
    • To lower inflation: decrease the money supply and raise interest rates