Political Ideologies and Beliefs Flashcards
Public Opinion
the opinions/feelings of the people
General Public
most americans
Characteristics of Public Opinion
Saliency - how important an issue is
Intensity - how strongly people feel about the issue
Stability - public opinion changes over time
How is public opinion measured
Public opinion polls
Public Opinion Polls
asking questions to a small group to measure the beliefs of the entire population
Random Sampling
polling random people that proportionally represent the population
Benchmark Poll
conducted by a campaign when a candidate initially announces
Tracking Polls
polls performed multiple times with an identical sample to track changes in opinion
Entrance Polls
conducted on Election Day when voters are going to polling station to cast vote
Exit Polls
randomly poll voters leaving the voting place
Stratified Random Sampling
type of random sampling in which the population in divided into subgroups and weighed based on demographic characteristics
How should polling questions be written
objectively. mainly stick to closed-ended questions (multiple choice) since they are better quantifiable
Accuracy of Polls
polls can’t be 100% accurate
Sampling Error
how far off the poll results may be. more respondents = lower sampling error
Political Socialization
The process by which people acquire political beliefs and values
Factors that influence political beliefs
Family
Location
School
Religious Institutions
Mass Media
If they pursue higher education
Ideology
coherent set of thoughts and beliefs about policies and government
Types of Ideologies
Conservative - individuals should be responsible for themselves and not rely on government assistance. oppose government interference, federal regulation. Prefer laissez-fair economics (market determines costs)
Liberal - government should be used in a limited way to remedy the social and economic injustices of the marketplace. support government regulation on the economy, affirmative action (policies and programs aimed at promoting equal opportunity and diversity).
Moderate - apply common sense rather than philosophical principles to political problems. less moderates present today
Determining Factors in Ideological and Political Behavior
Race/Ethnicity - races in lower income levels more liberal, blacks and hispanics more liberal, cuban Americans more conservative
Religion - Jews and Black Protestants more liberal, catholics socially conservative
Gender - women more liberal
Income Level - higher income brackets support liberal goals but fiscally conservative, poor are more conservative except in social welfare
Region - east coast more liberal, south more conservative, west coast polarized
News Media
media in newspapers, social media, etc. can alter public opinion. younger generations rely more on social media
Pragmatists
a person who deals with problems or situations by focusing on practical approaches and solutions
