political beliefs and behaviors Flashcards
LIBERTY
the state or condition of people who are able to act and speak freely
significance: gives one their freedom
DEMOCRACY
a system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government
significance: used this tactic to make sure that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences.
EQUALITY
the quality or state of having the same rights, social status, etc.
significance: allows everyone to be treated the same
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY
willingness to both accept the importance of standards that society establishes for individual behavior and to live by these standards
-significance: this can add to the turnout of politics so it can become more efficient.
EQUALITY OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
a political ideal that is opposed to caste hierarchy but not to hierarchy per se.
-significance: it is apart of political ideology.
ECONOMIC INDIVIDUALISM
people should be allowed to pursue their economic self-interest without government restrictions
an economy w/o the influence of the government.
significance: resents an obvious and simple system of natural liberty.
FREE ENTERPRISE
an economic system where few restrictions are placed on business activities and ownership
significance: aims for limited restrictions on trade and minimal government intervention.
POLITICAL TOLERANCE
defined as a willingness to extend basic constitutional rights – the right to speak, to publish, to run for office – to offensive groups and ideas.
significance: used in many civil cases,
LIBERALISM
a political philosophy or worldview founded on ideas of liberty and equality.
liberals typically believe that government is necessary to protect individuals from being harmed by others; but they also recognize that government itself can pose a threat to liberty.
CONSERVATISM
favors change in tradition especially radical social change.
significance: used to describe political and economic views.
LIBERTARIANISM
upholds liberty as its principal objective.
libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and freedom of choice, emphasizing political freedom, voluntary association, and the primacy of individual judgment.
POPULISM
a belief in the power of regular people, and in their right to have control over their government rather than a small group of political insiders or a wealthy elite.
RADICAL/REACTIONARY
a person who advocates thorough or complete political or social reform; a member of a political party or part of a party pursuing such aims.
-radicals are progressive
INTERNAL EFFICACY
the belief that one can understand politics and therefore participate in politics
significance: confidence in a citizens own abilities to understand and take part in political affairs.
EXTERNAL EFFICACY
that the government will respond to one’s demands
significance: ones trust in the responsiveness in the government.
SAMPLE SIZE
the number of observations in a sample
significance: correctly represents your community or population in general.
BIAS
favoring one thing over the other no matter what
significance: people in a population may damage results by favoring one side over another even if the other side is offering something beneficial.
VALIDITY
he state of being legally or officially binding or acceptable.
significance: shows relativity in a survey like measuring ones population.
MARGIN OF ERROR
an amount that is allowed for in case of miscalculation or change of circumstances.
significance: relates to a sampling error
PUSH POLLS
an opinion poll in which the true objective is to sway voters using loaded or manipulative questions
significance: used to influence or alter the view of voters under the guise of conducting a poll.
STRAW POLLS
an unofficial ballot conducted as a test of opinion.
commonly used to test public opinion of candidates running for office.
significance: provide dialog among movements within large groups
15TH AMENDMENT
prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen’s “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
17TH AMENDMENT
established the popular election of United States Senators by the people of the states
19TH AMENDMENT
gave women the right to vote in 1920.
23RD AMENDMENT
allowed District of Columbia residents to vote in presidential elections.
24TH AMENDMENT
citizens in some states had to pay a fee to vote in a national election called a poll tax.
this amendment prohibited any poll tax in elections for federal officials.
26TH AMENDMENT
The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age
VOTING RIGHTS ACT( 1969 )
a law passed at the time of the civil rights movement. It eliminated various devices, such as literacy tests, that had traditionally been used to restrict voting by black people.
POLITICAL CULTURE
widely shared beliefs, values, and norms that define the relationship between citizens and government,
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
a coherent way of thinking about how politics and government ought to be carried out.
GENDER GAP
difference in political views between men and women. Men increasingly have become republicans and women have been identified as democrats.
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
a relationship between socioeconomic status and conventional political
significance: influences the political process
PROTEST
a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something.
a written declaration, typically by a notary public, that a bill has been presented and payment or acceptance refused.
example: a total boycott of British goods in protest against taxes
civil disobedience
the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest.
political socialization
development of one’s ideas about politics. Everyone is taught about politics somehow, and that forms our political opinion
collective goods
benefits that are offered by groups (usually citizens’ groups) as an incentive for membership but that are nondivisible
politics
the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power.
single-issue groups
focus on advocacy around a single defining issue. These groups focus on a diverse array of issues including abortion, taxation, and animal rights.
policy-making system
the act of creating laws or setting standards for a government or business
example: when the President and his staff draft and pass a new crime bill
linkage institutions
a structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority. These institutions include: elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
political issue
one that has to do with government or politics. including issues related to party politics or a political system or social, environmental
policy making institutions
the process by which policy comes into being and
evolves over time.
public policy
the principle that injury to the public good is a basis for denying the legality of a contract or other transaction.
policy impacts
The effect that government policy and its administrative practices can have on something
selective perception
the process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages while ignoring opposing viewpoints. It is a broad term to identify the behavior all people exhibit to tend to “see things” based on their particular frame of reference.
suffrage
the right to vote in political elections.
a vote given in deciding a controverted question or electing a person for an office or trust.
political efficacy
the citizens’ faith and trust in government and their belief that they can understand and influence political affairs.
civic duty
an action required by law for a citizen to perform. one civic duty is to serve in the military if drafted by the United States.
voter registration
the requirement in some democracies for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in elections.
absentee ballot
a ballot completed and typically mailed in advance of an election by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls.
motor voter act (1993)
requires all states to allow voters to register by mail when they renew their drivers’ licenses and provides for the placement of voter registration forms in motor vehicle, public assistance, and military recruitment offices
mandate theory of election
the idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics. Politicians like the theory better than political scientists do.
policy voting
electoral choices that are made on basis of the voters’ policy preferences and on the basis of where the candidates stand on policy issues.
random sampling
a set of items that have been drawn from a population in such a way that each time an item was selected, every item in the population had an equal opportunity to appear in the sample.
sampling error
the error caused by observing a sample instead of the whole population.
the sampling error is the difference between a sample statistic used to estimate a population parameter and the actual but unknown value of the parameter
random-digit dialing
a method for selecting people for involvement in telephone statistical surveys by generating telephone numbers at random.
exit poll
a poll of people leaving a polling place, asking how they voted.
significance: affects voting rates. mainly decreases them.
public opinion
views prevalent among the general public.
a collective opinion that people may have on a certain issue
demography
the study of statistics such as births, deaths, income, or the incidence of disease, which illustrate the changing structure of human populations.
census
an official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals.
significance: identifys how many people should be voting
melting pot
where different types of people live together and gradually create one community
