Exam Three Flashcards
What is political socialization
Process by how people acquire their political orientation- his or her knowledge, feelings, and evaluations regarding his or her political world
Beliefs/values
Basic principles that shape a persons opinions about political issues and events
What is a margin of error and how do you use it
How pollsters qualify their result
Margin of error
+/- 3 through +/- 5
Confidence level needs to be 95%
What is the early impact of family
Influence of the family of political socialization in two factors: communication and receptivity. Children at an early age learn their parents political values. Decline of liberal ideological self-identification
What is the early impact of school
Children are taught respect for the USA when learning the pledge of allegiance, support for the flag, more children are patriotic despite negative views that adults have about the country
What is the early impact of college
15% likely to characterize themselves as liberal
Depends on the college you go to
What is the early impact of media
In telling us what to think about it
Setting the agenda
Fox News, MSNBC- whole different set of issues
Telling us what’s important
Who is important and what issues are important
Parents are not the sole dominant influence on politics
Importance of evangelicals in voting
Because since 1980 they have found a welcome and a home in the Republican Party. But not all evangelicals are republicans
Gender gap
A term that refers to the regular patterns 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
Voter turnout
Varies depending on type of election
Federal elections- 55%
Midterm elections- 38%
What is ticket splitting
Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior
Difference between closed and open primary
Open- do not have to be registered to that party to vote
Closed- must be registered in that primary to vote for that party
Difference between proportional and winner take all
Winner take all- electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies. In American presidential elections, the system in which the winner of the popular votes in a state receives all the electoral votes of that state
Proportional representation- an electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election
Electoral college
A body of individuals which elect the president and Vice President of the United States
Political party systems- IMPORTANT!!
Six different party systems and the history