Exam 3 Flashcards
Public Opinion
the collective attitudes and beliefs of individuals on one or more issues
Public Opinion Polls
scientific efforts to estimate what an entire group thinks about an issue by asking a smaller sample of the group for its opinion
What are the two reasons as to why public opinion is important to democracy?
we believe public opinion should influence what government does; a lot of people actaully behave as though public opinion does matter
What do elitists suspect?
that citizens are too ignorant or ill-informed to be trusted with major political decisions
Pluralists…..
trusts groups of citizens to be competent on those issues in which they have a stake, but they think individuals may be too busy to gather all of the info needed to make informed decisions
Participatory Democracy proponents….
have faith that the people are both smart enough and able to gather enough information to be effective decision makers
Ideal Democratic Citizen
virtuous citizen activated by concerns for the common good, who recognizes the democracy carries obligations and rights; should be attentive, informed, exhibit political tolerance, willingness to compromise, and high levels of participation in civic activities
What is the competing view of American citizens?
that Americans are apolitical and self interested actors; inattentive, ill informed, politically intolerant, and unlikely to get involved in political life
How do Americans as a group behave?
often behave as ideal citizens, even though as individuals they are not
What have polls concluded about Americans?
that they are not well informed about their political system
In studies, the least politically tolerant are….
consistently the less educated and less politically sophisticated
Political Socialization
the process by which we learn our political orientations and allegiances; transferred from generation to generation
What are the agents of socialization?
family, school, house of worship, etc
Patriotism
strong emotional attatchement to the political community
Spiral of Silence
process by which a majority opinion becomes exagerrated because minorities do not feel comfortable speaking out in opposition
African Americans are typically…
more liberal than whites, but on social issues like abortion and prayer in schools the racial differencs are more muted; they are also the most solidly democratic group in terms of party identification and voting
Gender Gap
the tendency of men and women to differ in their political views on some issues
The gender gap is substantial….
females are more liberal on social welfare (aid for children, elderly, and poor) and females are less favorable to the death penalty and less willing than men to go to war
Women are more ___________ than men
liberal
On “womens issues” the gender gap is….
small
Marriage Gap
the tendency for married people to hold political opinions that differ from those of people who have never been married
What is the only exception to there being a age difference?
political engagement; older people tend to be more engaged with politics
Political Generations
groups of citizens whose political views have been shaped by the common events of their youth
Generational Replacement
as older groups die, overall opinion among citizenry changes
What does liberalism stand for?
faith in gov. action to bring about equitable outcomes and social tolerance
What does conservatism stand for?
preference for limited gov. and tradtional social values
Partisan Sorting
process through which citizens align themselves ideologically with one of the two parties, leaving fewer citizens remaining in the center and increasing party polarization
Democratic Enlightenment
refers to a citizens ability to hold democratic beliefs, including the idea that politics is about compromise and that sometimes the needs of the whole will conflict with individual preferences
Democratic Engagement
refers to a citizens ability to understand his or her own intersts and how to pursue them in politics
Better educated citizens are….
more likely to be informed about politics, be tolerant and committed to democratic principles and to vote and participate at all levels of the political system
Where do a lot of political preferences come from?
an assesment of what is best for them economically; “Whats in it for me?”
Those who adhere to traditional religious beliefs and practices tend to…
take a conservative position on an array of social issues
Those that say they have no religious affiliation are typically more…
liberal
Opinions in the south…
remain more conservative on civil rights but also on other social issues
City dwellers are more..
democratic and liberal
What sample size is very representative of the US if it is a random draw?
1000-2000
Random Samples
samples chosen in such a way that any member of the population being pulled has an equal chance of being selected
Sample Bias
the effect of having a sample that does not represent all segments of the population
Non-Responsive Bias
a skewing of data that occurs when there is a difference in opinion between those who choose to participate and those who do not
Telephone polls will typically have
more elderly women and few younger men
Weighting
adjustments to surveys during analysis so that selected demographic groups reflect their values in the population, usually measured by the census
Sampling Error
a number that indicates within what range the results of a poll are accurate; typically a margin of error plus or minus 3
Larger sample=
smaller sampling error, but samples larger than 2000 add very little in the way of reliability
On a poll questions should not be….
ambiguous, should not lead repondents to a conclusion, avoid using words that result in strong emotion
National Polls
are efforts to measure public opinion within a limited time period using a national representative sample
Benchmark Polls
an initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared; instrumental in designing campaign strategy
Tracking Polls
an ongoing series of surveys that follow changes in public opinion over time; daily samples are too small but when averaged over time they provide a dynamic view of changes in voters preferences and perception
Exit Polls
election related questions asked of voters right after they vote; can be used to predict winners early but are not always accurate
Pseudo Polls
opinion studies wrongly presented as polls; tell you only the opinions of that portion of the media outlet; ex- viewer/listener call in polls and internet polls
Push Polls
polls that ask for reaction to hypothetically, often false, information in order to manipulate public opinion
Survey Experiments
by social scientists; not really about public opion but instead to deepen our understanding of public attitudes; questions are manipulated to try to get respondents to disclose more than they think they are
Rational Ignorance
the state of being uninformed about politics because of time and energy
On-Line Processing
the ability to receive and evaluate information as events happen, allowing us to remember our evaluation even if we have forgotten the specific events that caused it
Two Step Flow of Information
the process by which citizens take their political cues from more well informed opinion leaders
Opinion Leaders
people who know more about certain topics tha we do and whose advice we trust, seek out and follow
Groups appear to be…
better behaved, more rational, and better informed than individuals
What was Madison worried about in Federalist no. 10?
he was not worried about the odd voter, he was concerned that large numbers of voters would come to define themselves as being opposed to what he thought was good for the public; basically factions; worried about the political power of groups
What do political parties and interest groups seek to do?
parties seek to elect their members to office in order to control gov. and interest groups seek only to influence what the gov. does
Are political parties in the constitution?
no; many of the rules and roles of parties was created by the parties themselves
Political Party
a group of citizens united by ideology and seeking control of the gov. in order to promote their ideas and ideologies
What are the three ways that political parties support democratic gov?
provide a linkage between voters and elected officials; overcome some of the fragmentation is gov (links members in all branchs and levels of gov); provide an articulate opposition to the ideas and policies of those elected to serve in gov
Party Organization
the official structure that conducts the political business of parties
Example of Party Organization
At the top of the democratic organization is the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee heads the republican party
Electioneering
the process of getting a person elected to public office, involves recruiting and nominating candidates, defining policy agenda, and getting candidates elected
Steps in Electioneering
first step is finding candidates to run, then nomination phase, then develops policy agenda
Nominating Convention
the formal party gathering to choose candidates
Party in Government
party members who have been elected to serve
Governing
activities directed toward controlling the districbutions of political resources by providing executive and legislative leadership, enacting agendas, mobilizing support, and building coaliation
What does it mean when a party “control” the gov at national and state level?
means that the party determines who occupies the leadership positions in the branch of gov. in which it has a majority
Party in the Electorate
ordinary citizens who identify with the party
Party Identification
voter affiliation with a political party
Party Base
member of a political party who consistently vote for that parties candidates
Responsible Party Model
party gov. when four conditions are met: clear choice of ideologies, candidates pledged to implement ideas, party held accountable by voters and party control over members
What does the responsible party model propose?
that democracy is strengthened when voters are given clear alternatives and hold the parties responsible for keeping their promises
How does Americas political system fall short of the responsible party model?
American voters do not fit the models conditions; they do not vote solely on party or issues, relying on other considerations like candidates experience and personality
1828 Van Buren and Andrew Jackson…
turned the democratic party away from a focus on the party in gov, creating the countrys first mass based party and setting the stage for the development of the voter oriented party machine
Party Machines
mass-based party systems in which parties provided services and resources to voters in exchange for votes
Party Bosses
party leaders, usually in an urban district, who excersised tight control over electioneering and patronage
Party Primary
an election in which party candidates are nominated by registered party members rather than party bosses P
Party Eras
extended periods of relative political stability in which one party tends to control both the presidency and congress; signaled by one major critical election in which the majority of people shift their political allegiance from one party to another
Realignment
a substantial and long term shift in party allegiances by individuals and groups; usually resulting in a change in policy direction
Which party era was most of the 20th century in?
5th party erea; ushered by FDRs new deal
Dealignment
trend among voters to identify themselves as independents rather than as members of a major party
Democratic party is typically aligned with….
liberal ideology
Republican party is typically aligned with….
conservative ideology
What happened in the south during the 1960s?
southern Democratic voters started switching to republican as well as the candidates running for office
Party Platform
list of policy positions that a party endorses and pledges its elected officials to enact; national campaign promises
What is a dilemma that Political parties face?
how to keep core ideological base satisfied while appealing to enough moderates to win elections
Party Activists
“party faithfuls”; people who especially committed to the values and policies of the party and who devote more of their resources to the parties cause; they are the life blood; tend to be more ideologically extreme and can have significant influence on the ideological character of the party
What is one of the main reasons the US remains a two party system?
the rules (made mostly by the 2 parties) makes it difficult for third parties to emerge
What does the winner take all system do for the two party system.
winner take all system creates strong incentives for voters to cast their ballots for one of the two parties because many voters feel like they are basically wasting their votes when voting for a 3rd party
What do many states require for a 3rd party to be on a ballot>
large number of signatures; and/or earn some minimal percentage of the votes in precious elections in order to conduct a primary
When can 3rd parties claim federal funds?
after the election is over and if 5% or more of the national vote
Why do 3rd parties typically form?
address specific issues that the major parties failed to address or to promote ideas not currently in the existing party
Interest Groups
an organization of individuals who share a common political goal and unite for the purpose of influencing government decisions
What are the six important roles that interest groups play?
Representation; participation; education; agenda building; provision of program alternatives; Program monitoring
Interest Groups- Representation
interest groups helps represent their view to congress, executive and administrative branches
Interest Groups- Participation
provide an avenue for citizen participation in politics beyond voting; collective action
Interest Groups- Education
educate policy makers regarding issues that are important to the groups
Interest Groups- Agenda Building
alert proper gov. authorities about their issues, get issues on political agenda, and make them high priority
Interest Groups- Provision of Program Alternatives
effective in supplying alternative suggestions
Interest Groups- Program Monitoring
once laws are enacted, interest groups keep tabs on their consequences
Free Rider Problem
difficulty groups face in recruiting when potential members can gain the benefits of the groups actions whether they join or not
Collective Good
good or service that cannot be denied to anyone who wants to consume it
How do the groups overcome the free rider problem>
by supplying selective incentives
Solidary Benefits
selective incentives related to the interaction and bonding among group members
Expressive Benefits
selective incentives that derive from teh opportunity to express values and beliefs and to be commited to the greater cause
Economic Interest Groups
groups that organize to influence gov. policy for the economic benefits of their members
Equal Opportunity Interest Groups
groups that organize to promote the civil and economic rights of underrepresented or disadvantaged groups
Public Interest Groups
groups that organize to influence gov. to produce collective goods or services that benefit the general public
Government Interest Groups
groups that organize to represent foreign or domestic gov. and to lobby congress and the president on their behalf
Direct Lobbying
direct interaction with public officials for the purpose of influencing policy decisions
Indirect Lobbying
aka outside lobbying; attempts to influence gov. policy makers by encouraging the general public to put pressure on them
Lobbying Congress
focus on congressional committees; provide testimonies and expertise to congress; give money to the candidates
Revolving Door
tendency of public official, journalists, and lobbyists to move between public and private sector jobs
Political Action Committee
the fundraising arms of a committee; strict limitations on how much PAC can donate; attempt to bolster efforts by forming coilations with other interest groups
Lobbying Disclosure Act
1995; requires lobbyists to report how much they are paid, by whom, and what issues they are promoting
Lobbying the President, Bureaucracy and Courts
try to gain an advantage by developing strong relationships with regulating agencies; try to influence gov. policy by challenging the legality of laws or administrative regulations in court; file amicus curiae
Office of Public Engagement
official contact point between white house and interest groups
Issue Advocacy Ads
advertisements that support issues or candidates without telling constituents how to vote
Social Protest
public activities designed to bring attention to political causes, usually generated by those without access to conventional means of expressing their views
Grassroots Lobbying
indirect lobbying efforts that spring from widespread public concern
Astroturff Lobbying
indirect lobbying efforts that manipulate or create public sentiment, “astroturf” being artificial grassroots; is intentionally orchastrated
What is the maximum that any PAC can give?
$5000 for each separate election
Where is PAC spending usually directed?
toward incumbents of both parties; many argue that the money given to congressmen from interest groups buys their votes
Why is size of an interest group important?
if they are spread out through the country they have even more influence on congress and their is strength in numbers
If group members are intensely dedicated to its cause…
the group may be stronger than its number indicate
What do the members of an interest group represent?
the life blood
What is the most powerful resource for an interest group?
information
