2A Vocab Flashcards
Public opinion
The distribution of individual preferences or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population
Political socialization
The process - most notably in families and schools - by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs
Scientific poll
A method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected
Opinion poll
Polls through interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population
Benchmark (tracking) poll
Polls in which researchers ask people the same similar questions over time to “track” the path of public opinion
Entrance/exit polls
Polls conducted outside of polling places on Election Day to predict the outcome of an election
Sampling error
Error in a statistic analysis arising from the unrepresentativeness of the sample taken (occurs simply because the researchers aren’t asking everyone)
Margin of error
Maximum amount by which the sample results are expected to differ from those of the actual population
Random sample
A type of sample where every individual has an unknown and random chance of being selected
Public policy
A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.
Political ideology
A consistent pattern of belies and attitudes about political values and the role of government
Liberalism
A belief that government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity
Conservatism
A belief in private property and free enterprise
Libertarianism
An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on minimal government, promoting a free market economy, a non interventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in moral, economic, and social life
Free enterprise
Freedom of private business to organize and operate for profit in a competitive system without interference by government beyond regulation necessary to protect public interest and keep the national economy in balance
Keynesian economics
Developed by the British economist John Maynard Keynes during the 1930s in an attempt to understand the Great Depression. Keynes advocated increased government expenditures and lower taxes to stimulate demand and pull the global economy out of the depression.
Supply-side economics
An economic theory that states, by lowering taxes on corporations, government can stimulate investment in industry and raise production, which will bring down prices and control inflation. Focuses on increasing the supply of goods rather than stimulating demand by granting subsidiaries to the public. Influenced by the presidency of Ronald Reagan.
