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Political Opinion and Culture Flashcards

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1
Q

Why did a democratic republic take place in the US? (according to Tocqueville)

A

many opportunities to acquire land and make a living

minimal taxes

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2
Q

Alexis de Tocqueville

A

French observer of American politics in the 1830s

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3
Q

political culture

A

a distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out

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4
Q

What are the five major important elements in the American view of the political system

A 
Liberty
Equality 
Democracy 
Civic Duty 
Individual Responsibility
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5
Q

Liberty

A

Americans LOVE rights
like LOVE them
believe that people should be able to do whatever they please as long as nobody gets hurt

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6
Q

Equality

A

Americans believe that everyone should have an equal vote and chance to participate and succeed

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7
Q

Democracy

A

Americans want their officials to be accountable

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8
Q

Civic Duty

A

Generally feel like people should help out their community and be active in it

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9
Q

Individual Responsibility

A

such Americanism

Individuals are responsible for their own action and well being

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10
Q

How do we know how Americans feel?

A

Polls, but they are relatively recent
Viewing what Americans are drawn to and what choices they make
comparisons to different countries

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11
Q

American creed vs behavior conflict example

A

belief in equality of opportunity vs. discrimination

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12
Q

Why is there conflict if everyone agrees?

A

Abstract beliefs remain the same, but specific policies views can be different
Sometimes values are just so not at all related
Strong beliefs and values drive conflicts

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13
Q

Americanism is evidence for

A

a common way of life

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14
Q

Did the South secede because they had a vastly different political culture full of different abstract ideals and wanted to form a fundamentally different country based on a completely different set of rules?

A

no, they used some of Constitutional language

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15
Q

Do Americans support free-enterprise?

A

Yes

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16
Q

Do people support government regulation if a firm is too powerful?

A

yes

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17
Q

True or false: Americans are more willing to tolerate political inequality than economic inequality.

A

False

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18
Q

Do Americans believe in economic equality of opportunity or economic equality of results?

A

Opportunity

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19
Q

Which of the five major values do American economic views align most closely with?

A

Individual Responsibility

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20
Q

Do Americans like hiring quotas?

A

No, they seem like preferential treatment

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21
Q

Do Americans tend to assert their rights?

A

YES

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22
Q

Civic Duty

A

belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs
Stronger in US than GB

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23
Q

Civic competence

A

A belief that one can affect politics

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24
Q

What are ways Americans participate in politics besides voting?

A

Campaigning
Attending political meetings
being active in the local community
contacting government officials

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25
True or false: Americans are more trusting of government now than they used to be
False
26
True or false: Americans have relatively high faith in institutions(public and private) compared to people in other countries
true
27
Are American liberals as liberal as Swedish liberals?
not even close
28
Is America a religious country?
yessss
29
Why are Americans attracted to religion?
Spiritual values as well as community works | give clothes and help other people out
30
True or False: Religious beliefs transformed American political life
true ex. First Great Awakening Temperance
31
Give an example of liberals using religion to promote political change
religious civil rights leaders
32
Give an example of conservatives using religion to promote political change
1980s moral majority
33
Do Americans mention religion more in politics?
YES | in a degree that is completely unmatched by other democracies
34
What are the roots of American distrust?
1. British rule | 2. Religious belief that human nature is depraved
35
First test of American politics and the ability of governmental cooperation
Federalists vs. Antifederalists / (Jefferson vs. Hamilton) | People accepted opposition party
36
Which two religious groups historically caused cleavage in politics?
Puritans [work ethic] vs. Catholics [Sacraments and priestly authority] also choice of political party and a bunch of other stuff
37
Churches were controlled by ________ | This made them akin to ___________
their members | a mini politcal system
38
What is the main system of culture transmission?
Family
39
class consciousness
A belief that you are a member of an economic group whose interests are opposed to people in other groups not very present in America think that guy form Britain
40
Orthodox
A belief that morality and religion ought to be of decisive importance These are determined by religion and nature and are constant
41
Progressive
A belief that personal freedom and solving social problems are more important than religion
42
Are all people who hold orthodox views religious?
Nope
43
Has the scope of the culture war gotten bigger?
Yes, because of the internet and mass media as well as the fact that not everyone is orthodox
44
Do Americans support public officials? | Have they always felt this way?
no | no (like they used to consistently but then by 1980 it was over)
45
Why do Americans not trust officials as much as they used to?
Vietnam Watergate Clinton Impeachment Additionally, in the past, there were some really confidence inspiring things(like FDR and Eisenhower era) /people expected less
46
What made Americans more aware of problems currently on the national agenda/when?
1960s and 70s turmoil and new concerns people felt like gov couldn't do anything because problems were so big Patriotism not expressed as often
47
Political efficacy
A belief that you can take part in politics (internal efficacy) or that the government will respond to the citizenry (external efficacy)
48
internal efficacy
the ability to take part in and understand political affairs
49
external efficacy
the ability to make the system respond to the citizenry
50
Which type of efficacy, external or internal, has been on the decline?
external efficacy
51
Who has a higher sense of efficacy Americans or Europeans?
Americans
52
Do Americans support free speech, majority rule, and the right to petition?
In theory and in the abstract they LOVE them | however, on a case by case basis, not so much
53
True or False Americans have become more tolerant
True
54
How come groups that others would like to deny things like free speech to still exist?
people don't act on those ideas
55
public opinion
how people think or feel about certain things
56
Is public opinion easy to measure?
No | ex. Monetary Control Bill
57
When people are unfamiliar with a topic, can they generally figure out who will represent their interests??
yes
58
poll
a survey of public opinion
59
random sample
Method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected
60
Sampling error
the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time
61
Exit polls
polls based on interviews conducted on election day with randomly selected voters
62
What are some things essential to good polls?
wording questions fairly Asking comprehensible questions that people can form opinions on and like more
63
stratified or multistage area sampling
a list of all geographical units are made and they are grouped by population size random units are then selected in proportion
64
opinion saliency
some people care more about issues than others
65
opinion stability
some issues have relatively consistent opinions, while others have volatile ones.
66
opinion-policy congruence
some issues see government and popular opinion going hand in hand, other times out of sync
67
political socialization
Process by which background traits influence one's politics
68
Elite
People who have a disproportionate amount of some valued resource
69
True or false: most young people identify with their parents on parties
true
70
gender gap
difference in political views between men and women
71
True or false: the voting behavior of women has changed since the 1960s
false
72
What are the largest reasons for the gender gap?
size of the government gun control spending programs aimed at the poor gay rights
73
True or false: college makes you more liberal
true
74
Have people of different social classes become more or less similar(in terms of opinion)?
More
75
True or false: More african american youths are identifying as republican
true -
76
True or false: the South is more conservative than other regions
True, but this is generally on more social issues, and they are close to other regions of the country
77
political ideology
A more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue
78
How is the extent of ideology measured?
1. Through people's use of broad political words to describe themselves or their actions 2. Seeing the policy preferences of certain people over time and if they are consistent [Math!}
79
True or false: Moderates are the smallest group in American politics
false, they are the largest and liberals are the smallest
80
Since most Americans do not identify as conservative or liberal, are they not ideological?
No, Americans are very ideological, they just don't use these words to describe themselves Also, people are seemingly inconsistent, which means that they don't follow the classic examples of liberals or conservatives. They really are just not defined by a single label
81
liberal
originally, someone who valued social and economic liberty | FDR made it someone who wanted an active gov
82
Conservative
orginially someone who was against the excesses of the French Revolution and wanted the state, church, and aristocracy to come back to power
83
Pure liberals
liberal economically and socially gov reduce economic inequality, regulate biz, tax rich, stop econ causes of crime, allow abortions, protect righst Generally college educated, young, and not religious
84
Pure Conservatives
Conservative socially and economically want gov to cut back on welfare state, let the market be the market, keep low taxes, use prisons Generally older, higher income, white, Midwest
85
Libertarians
Economically conservative but socially liberal small weak government that can not control economy or personal life Generally young, college educated, white, western, higher income, and not religious
86
Populists
Liberal on economic policy but socially conservative want econ inequality reduced but also regulate personal conduct and allow school prayer Generally older, less educated, low-income, religious, female, South or Midwest
87
Political Elites
People with a disproportionate share of political power
88
Why are elites more ideological?
1. information better informed and, if they take an interest, very likely to keep views 2. peers the more time spent in politics, the more you associate with people who are similar to you, which leads to your views matching theirs more
89
norm
a standard of right or proper conduct
90
Do elites have a large or small effect on the public?
large
91
What are limits on the power of the elites?
do not define problems: people can see them on their onw little evidence on what people think is a problem on crimes or drugs works well for foreign policy

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