4.1-4.7 Flashcards
Political Ideologies
A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and the role of government.
Individualism
A belief in the fundamental worth and importance of the individual
Free Enterprise
An economic system in which private business operate in competition & largely free of gov’t control
Capitalism
Business should succeed or fail based on their decisions and those of consumers
Rule of Law
the principle that the gov. has to follow established rules & that laws apply equally to all
Limited Government
the power of government should be restricted to protect individual rights and freedoms.
Political Socialization
The process by which one develops political beliefs
Factors that affect Political Socialization
family, education, race & heritage, gender & sexuality, media, social environment, and location
Social Environments
religious and civic institutions
Scientific Polling
using statistical information to select respondents and obtain survey results using unbiased questions.
Sampling Techniques
assure an accurate poll with a random and fair representation of the population
Representative Sample
those responding to the survey should reflect the larger group (the universe) whose opinion pollsters are seeking
Random Digit Dialing
a computer calls phone #s at random until pollsters have enough responses
Sampling Error
accounts for the inaccuracy of the poll (+- 2-4%)
Benchmark Polling
used to gather general information about people’s concerns
Tracking polls
asks people the same or similar questions over a period of time
Entrance and Exit Polls
questions asked to voters on election day
Approval Rating
Measure of job performance
Focus Group (Non-Scientific Polling)
small groups of citizens (10-40) people, gathered to hold conversations about candidates and issues
Social Media/Online Polls (Non-Scientific Polling)
Open access and don’t reflect “the universe”
Bandwagon Effect
shift in public support to candidate based on leading in polls
Social Desirability Bias
respondents tell the pollsters what they think the pollsters want to hear
Non-Response (participation) Bias
Certain groups don’t participate in poll, making the sample unrepresentative
Undecided Voters
large #s of undecided voters make predicting elections more difficult
Valence Issues
Concerns or issues that are viewed the same way by people with different ideologies
Wedge Issues
sharply divide the public. hold high saliency
Democrats
more liberal and are on the left on the spectrum
Republicans
conservative and are on the right on the spectrum
Liberal (Left)
- open to change
- gov should prioritize equality
- gov should play active role in economy
- gov should be secular (non religious)
- focus on fair outcome
Conservative (Right)
- Following tradition
- Gov should prioritize liberty
- gov take laissez-faire approach to economy
-gov should take a stance of religious morality
The moderate (center)
Moderates pick and choose their view points and more likely to be independent in their political affiliations
Libertarians
Stress personal liberty, non-interventionist foreign policy and laissez-fair economics
conservative on economic issues and liberal on social and moral issues
Populists
Advocate for workers rights, and supports for farmers
liberal on economic issues and conservative on social issues
Progressives
focus on income equality
social justice
reduce the power of big business & wealthy
Democratic Socialists
Use the power of gov to reduce gap between rich and poor
decentralization of business ownership
Party Platforms
Outline ideals and goals of political parties
Created every 4 years at National Conventions
