Chapter 18 Flashcards
Interest Groups (4)
- support candidates who favor their ideas, but they don’t nominate candidates for office
- only concerned with a few issues
- don’t try to gain members with different points of view
- organized on the basis of common values, not geographic location
Purpose of Interest Groups
help bridge the gap between the citizen and the government
Political power of Interest Groups (2)
- stronger bargaining position with leaders in government, but only proportionally
- draws from the financial resources and expertise of its many members
lobbying
practice of approaching senators and reps in the outer room or lobby of a capital
Lobbyists (4)
- meet personally with congressmen
- provide legislators with pamphlets, reports, etc.
- provide info by testifying before congressional committees
- help congressmen draft proposes bills
Interest groups seek support through… (2)
- media campaigns
- letter writing
Limitations on Interest Groups (3)
- different interest groups compete for power and influence –> no one is the most powerful;
- larger groups may not be able to adopt broad policy goals
- smaller groups are more effective in shaping policy
FECA and Revenue Act of 1971
a PAC must register with the government 6 months before the election
Federal Election Commission
issues regulations and advisory opinions that control PAC activities
Political Socialization factors that shape Public Opinion (7)
- Family and Home Influence
- Schools
- Peer Groups
- Social Characteristics
- The Mass Media
- Government leaders, congressmen, interest groups
- Political Efficacy (individual’s feelings of effectiveness in politics)
Political Culture
sets general boundaries within which citizens develop and express their opinions
Liberal Ideology (3)
- government should actively promote health, education, and justice
- increase equality
- government shouldn’t restrict most individual freedoms
Conservative Ideology (3)
- limiting role of government
- private individuals should solve social problems
- oppose government limitations on business
Moderate Ideology
want government to regulate business and support traditional values
Libertarians
free markets and unrestricted speech
straw polls
unscientific attempts to measure public opinion
universe sample
group of people that are to be studied
representative sample
small group of people typical of the universe
random sample
equal chance of being selected
sampling error
measurement of how much the sample results may differ from the universe sample
cluster sample
geographical divisions, countries, or congressional districts
