Ap Gov Chapter 6 Vocab Flashcards
Public Opinion
The distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues.
Demography
the science of population change
census
a valuable tool for understanding demographic changes. the constitution requires that the government conduct an “actual enumeration” of the population every 10 years.
Melting Pot
the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation. the united states, with its history of immigration, has often been called a melting pot.
minority majority
the emergence of non-causcasian majority, as compared with a white, generally Anglo-saxon majority. it is predicted that by about 2060, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans together will outnumber the white Americans.
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
according to Richard Dawson, “the process through which an individual acquires his (or her) particular political orientations-his(or her) knowledge, feelings, and evaluations regarding his (or her) political world.”
Sample
a relatively small proportion of people who are chose in a survey so as to be representative of the whole.
random sampling
the key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers, which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample.
sample 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 dialiing
a technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers to 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. it helps give meaning to political events, personalities, and policies.
gender gap
a term that refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support democratic candidates. women tend to be significantly less conservative than men and are more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.
