6 - Public Opinion and Political Action Flashcards
public opinion
The distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues.
demography
The science of population changes.
census
An “actual enumeration” of the population, which the Constitution requires that the government conduct every 10 years. The census is a valuable tool for understanding demographic changes.
melting pot
The term often used to characterize the United States, with its history of immigration and mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples.
minority majority
The situation, likely beginning in the mid-21st century, in which the non-Hispanic whites will represent a minority of the US population and minority groups together will represent a majority.
political culture
An overall set of values widely shared within a society.
reapportionment
The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.
political socialization
The process through which individuals in a society acquire political attitudes, views, and knowledge, based on inputs from family, schools, the media, and others.
sample
A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole.
random sampling
The key technique employed by survey researchers, which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample.
sampling error
The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results.
random-digit dialing
A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey.
exit poll
Public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision.
political ideology
A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose, which helps give meaning to political events.
gender gap
The regular pattern in which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates, in part because they tend to be less conservative than men and more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.
political participation
All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. The most common means of political participation in a democracy is voting; other means include protest and civil disobedience.
protest
A form of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics.
civil disobedience
A form of political participation based on a conscious decision to break a law believed to be unjust and to suffer the consequences.
Which of the following is the fastest-growing group in the United States?
Hispanics
Based on the regional shift, which of these states would have been expected to gain representation following the 2010 census?
Arizona
What are some possible consequences—political, social, and economic—of each of the important demographic changes that are occurring—the emergence of a minority majority, the regional shift, and the graying of America?
Do you think that these changes will strengthen or weaken political culture in the United States? Explain your answer.
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The main source of political socialization WITHIN the school context is government and civics classes.
True/False?
False
As people grow older,
Turnout and strength of party identification increase
Discuss how family, media, and school each contribute to the political socialization process in the United States. Why is political socialization crucial to a democracy? Given that it is crucial, how might the socialization process in the United States be improved?
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Which of the following ensures that the opinions of several hundred million Americans can be inferred through polling?
Random Sampling
Years of polling data reveal that Americans tend to be very engaged in and well informed about politics.
True/False?
False
The biggest consequence of declining trust in government has been a lack of support for the government during times of international crisis.
True/False?
False
What are the benefits of polling in a democracy, and what are some possible problems? What are three main obstacles to conducting a reliable public opinion poll? How serious are these obstacles, and how might they be partly overcome? Explain your answer.
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Americans are more likely to be conservative than liberal. True/False?
True
Which of the following statements about political ideology in America is NOT accurate?
Men are more likely to be liberal than women
What did the classic study The American Voter conclude about whether Americans think in ideological terms? What have more recent studies on the subject found?
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Have differences between liberals and conservatives in American politics today contributed to a culture war? Give an opinion and support it with concrete examples.
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Which of the following types of political participation is most common in the United States?
Voting in elections
Civil disobedience is a form of conventional political participation. True/False?
False
What are some of the main inequalities in American political participation? In your opinion, to what extent are these inequalities a potential problem for American democracy? Explain
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Which of the following statements about American public opinion is NOT supported by evidence from survey data?
All of the following are supported by evidence:
Americans generally believe that the government is trying to do too many things
Americans usually favor more spending on education programs
Americans usually favor more spending on environmental programs
Americans usually favor more spending on fighting crime
What do the public opinion data that show Americans to be uninformed and uninvolved in politics say about the strength of American democracy? Are there any shortcuts that citizens may take to evaluate the government rationally but without extensive knowledge of government and policy?
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