ap gov David Alvarez Flashcards
American National Election Studies
Social Science surveys conducted before and after mid term and presidential elections by researchers at Michigan and Stanford since 1952; funded by the national government through the National Science Foundation; include questions about how respondents voted, their party affiliation, and their opinions of major political parties and candidates
Conservative
one who favors limited government intervention, particularly in economic affairs
Exit Polls
Polls conducted as voters leave selected polling places on Election Day
George Gallup
An Iowan who is considered the founder of modern-day polling; says polls have played a key role in defining issues of concern to the public, shaping administrative decisions, and helping speed up the process of democracy
Liberal
one who favors greater government intervention, particularly in economic affairs and social services
Libertarian
one who believes in limited government interference in personal and economic liberties
Margin of Error
A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll; typically will be about 4%
Moderate
A person who holds some liberal and some conservative beliefs
Political Ideology
the set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals
Political Socialization
The process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and values
Population
The entire group of people whose attitudes a researcher wishes to measure
Public Opinion
What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time
Public Opinion Polls
Interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population
Push Polls
polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate
Random Sampling
A method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected
Sample
A subset of the whole population selected to be questioned for the purposes of prediction or gauging opinion
Sampling Error
Some of these underrepresent some and overrepresent others
Social Conservative
Social conservatism is the belief that society is built upon a fragile network of relationships which need to be upheld through duty, traditional values and established institutions
Statist
one who believes in extensive government control of personal and economic liberties
Stratified Sampling
A variation of random sampling; the population is divided into subgroups and weighted based on demographic characteristics of the national population
Straw Polls
Unscientific survey used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies
Tracking Polls
Continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart a candidate’s daily rise or fall in support; introduced during 1992 election
