Unit 4 test prep

Terms/Topics

Free market: An economic system where the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers.

Federal reserve : An independent agency that serves as the central bank of the U.S. to bring stability to the nations banking system

Liberal: Wants a large government/ more government control

Conservative: Wants a small government/less government control

Libertarian: Little to no government involvement

Views on taxes: Republicans want to cut taxes, Liberals support taxes

Exit polls: Unreliable polls which are taken right after a person votes on election day

Tracking polls: Peoples changing opinions

Opinion polls: Polls conducted based on the peoples opinions

Demographics (and how it can impact voting)

Liberty vs stability and order

Political socialization: The process by which an individuals political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture

Problems with polling

Conservative vs Liberal policy positions 

Margin of error: A statistic expressing the amount of random sampling error in the result of the survey

Individualism: a belief that the individual has political or economic rights with which the state must not interfere

Equality of opportunity: Ensures that all interested individuals have the same ability to access and the chance of receiving particular resources, such as employment, housing, or education, without discrimination based on irrelevant factors such as age, race, religion, or gender

Rule of law: All persons, institutions, and entities are accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced, independently adjudicated, and consistent with international human rights principles.

Limited government: A system of governance that restricts the power of the government and protects citizens’ rights

Mobilizing eligible voters:

• Where you fall on the graph impacts how you think the government is doing

• Most people want the government to be a good/better one, they just disagree about how to get there

Policy platform: Formation on Policy-

1. Make an Agenda

2. Study, research and hear from experts about an issue with growing attention.

3. Implement & Administer: Fund the agency that will regulate & enforce the policy

Scientific polling practices:

Congressional oversight: Congress watching over

Federalist 51: Talks about checks and balances

Political ideology: A certain ethical set of ideals (conservative, liberal, libertarian)

Keynesian economic theory: Idea that the government should intervene and make policies so the government/economy can perform better

Supply side economics: Increasing the supply of goods will drive economic growth

Monetary policy: Government decisions about how to influence the economy using control of the money supply and interest rates.

Fiscal policy: Government decisions about how to influence the economy by taxing and spending

Liberal, Conservative, and Libertarian views on Social and Economic issues

-Liberals believe that the gov should regulate the economy to increase stability

-Conservatives believe that the gov should limit its regulation of the marketplace

-Libertarians want little to no gov regulation in the economy

Federalism: State and the federal gov have separate powers and share powers

Demographics

• Age

  • Younger voters are more likely to vote Democrat

  • Older voters are more likely to vote Republican

• Race

  • White people are more likely to vote republican

• Ethnicity

  • Minorities are more likely to vote democrat

• Gender

  • Women tend to be more likely to lean democratic

• Education

  • More educated people are more likely to vote Democrat

  • Less educated people are more likely to vote Republican

• Wealth

• Religion

  • Christians are more likely to be Republican

  • Jewish voters are more likely to be Democrats

  • Non-religious people are more likely to to be Democrats

• Urban (city) vs. Rural

  • City dwellers are more likely to vote democratic

  • Country dwellers are more likely to be republican 

  • Suburbs (50/50), tend to be more Republican at times

• Business

  • Business owners are more likely to vote Republican