CHAPTER 6-9 Flashcards
WHAT IS PUBLIC OPINION
THE WILL OF PEOPLE and refers to the collective attitudes or opinions that people have about policy issues, political events, elected officials
What helps shape public opinion?
It is useful to distinguish between values and beliefs on the hand and attitude and opinions on the other
What are values (or beliefs)?
Make up a persons basic orientation to politics and include guiding principles. This does not only include political arena, it also includes deep-rooted morals, ethics, aspirations, and ideals that shape an individuals perceptions of society, government, and the economy.
What are attitudes (or opinions)?
are views about particular issues, persons, or events. Theses attitudes can emerge from firsthand experience, to roads, natural-disasters, climate change, about the role in government in society, etc. These attitudes may be short-lived and or change with changing circumstances and others may not change at all during their lifetime.
Political Ideology
A set of underlying ideas and beliefs through which people understand and interpret politics and the role of government.
Example: Liberalism & Conservatism
Political Socialization
is the process which underlying political beliefs and values are formed.
Our political attitudes and
- Governments use public education to try to teach us a set of civics
- Americans acquire their basic understanding of democracy
- We are individually polarized through friends, family, education, race, gender, generation.
Political Polarization
A distinguishing feature of the contemporary party system
- Two Major political parties and their supporters are divided on many issues.
Political Knowledge
- General knowledge citizens are better able to evaluate new information and determine whether it is relevant to and consistent with their beliefs and opinions
- Average Americans have little formal knowledge of policy debates of our political institutions, processes, and leaders
- Because being informed politically requires time and energy:
Political Mobilization
activities that intend to motivate masses of participants to express themselves and to undertake a particular political action.
Partisanship
Known as the identification with or support of a
particular party
- Parties play central roles in mobilizing citizens to vote inn elections
Primary Elections
Held to select a party’s candidate for the general election, and most states rely on primary election process
- Multiple candidates from the same party compete to be the party nominee
General Election
Follows the primary elections and determines who is
ultimately elected to office
Why do we vote?
Young people and voting?
voting is an act of civic participation that informs local, state and federal policymaking.
Linked Fate
acts as a sort of filter through which Black Americans evaluate information and determine their own opinions and policy references
Role of Immigration in Politics
immigration can be an important determinant of their electoral success or failure. Immigration took center stage in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and its aftermath, as now‐president Donald Trump took strong stands on illegal immigration, the construction of a border wall, refugees from Syria, and “sanctuary cities.”
Same-sex Marriage
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges ended all inter-state legal complications surrounding same-sex marriage, as it orders states to both perform the marriages of same-sex couples and to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples performed in other states.
Skim & Scam
Skimming is using electronic equipment to capture the recipients’ EBT card and create a counterfeit card. Scams involve deceiving or misleading a recipient to provide their account information and then using that information to create a counterfeit card
Freedom of Press
Watchdog
Media acts as a watchdog as they keep political actors over the fire. On actions of government and political actors
Traditional Media
any type of content that is distributed through established channels.
Example: Film, Television, Radio, and Print Publishing.
More costly.
Digital Media
any form of media that uses electronic devices for distribution. Media can be created, viewed, modified, and distributed electronically. For example, video games, videos, websites, social media, and online advertisement.
Role of Media
Internet has given citizens greater access to information about
candidates and campaigns and a greater role in politics than ever
before.
Coverage of Trump and Clinton by media
Research into public opinion and public policy has shown
that more affluent and more educated citizens have a
disproportionate influence over politics and public policy
decisions.
- One explanation for why Trump performed better at the
ballot box than in the public opinion polls is that some
people may have been reluctant to tell an interviewer that
they supported Trump given that he was so controversial.
- One reason Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 was because she
did not win enough support of working-class white men
