POSC EXAM2

Question 1

Public Opinion

Answer 1

values and attitudes that people have about issues, events, and personalities

Question 2

Values (of Beliefs)

Answer 2

people’s basic orientations to politics

Question 3

Political Ideology

Answer 3

a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about government

Question 4

Attitude (or opinion)

Answer 4

a specific view about a particular issue, personality, or event

Question 5

Liberalism

Answer 5

Liberals are people who generally support
Governmental intervention in the economy
More economic equality
Expansion of federal social services
Greater concern for consumers and the environment

Question 6

Conservatism

Answer 6

Conservatives are people who generally
Support the social and economic status quo
Are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae and economic arrangements
Believe that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens’ freedom

Question 7

Political Socialization

Answer 7

Process through which underlying political beliefs and values are formed

Question 8

Political Decision Making

Answer 8

1. Agents of socialization (family, education, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, socioeconomic status, social groups etc.) influences our views on the world.
   a. Each works in different ways. We know they are important, but how so for each individual is complex.
2. Individuals rely on shortcuts from party leaders, friends, coworkers, the news, etc. to help make decisions quickly with little information.
3. Once formed (largely before college age) individuals seldom change their political ideology and partisanship (they consistently vote for one party along the same ideological line).
   a. Straight ticket voting (voting for the same party for each position) is therefore common.
4. Receive, Accept, and Sample (Zaller Approach) has a more active role for citizens to play in analyzing information and making conscious decisions politically.
5. Lack of knowledge, efficacy, and participation leads to unhealthy democracy where not all participate or are even encouraged to participate.

Question 9

Role of External Information

Answer 9

1. The Media acts as either “watchdog” (critical lens of government) or “mouthpiece” (supporter of parties/politicians) that promote an ideology or view.
2. Politicians utilize their public position to champion issues and causes to gain public support.

Question 10

Media

Answer 10

Media are print and digital forms of communication that convey information to large audiences
Formats include:
Print: newspapers, magazines, and books
Broadcast: radio and television
Digital: websites, social media, and other online sources
among Internet users, three in four read news online

Question 11

Broadcast Media

Answer 11

television, radio, or other media that transmit audio and/or video content to the public

Question 12

Media Monopolies

Answer 12

the ownership and control of the media by a few large corporations

Question 13

Selection Bias

Answer 13

polling error that arises when the sample is not representative of the population being studied, which creates errors in overrepresenting or underrepresenting some opinions

Question 14

Purpose of Media

Answer 14

1. Maintain a healthy democracy by keeping citizens well informed and critically watching government to prevent abuse and corruption.

Question 15

Digital/Social Media

Answer 15

1. Convenient, Recent, Depth of Analysis and Coverage, and Diversity all benefits of online media.
2. Selection bias, unregulated content, for-profit business model, and rise of citizen/niche journalism consequences of online media.
   a. Fuels partisan divide with users able to view content that is not critical of their views.
3. Online technology has made it easier to access information, yet harder to determine validity and unbiased nature of that information.

Question 16

Media Monopolies

Answer 16

1. Lack of unique content with only a handful of news sources owning all forms of media from broadcast to print.
2. Profit driven media owners prefer moderate views to objective views to promote content and generate profit.
   a. Leads also to framing, agenda setting, and priming with media attempting to persuade public opinion rather than report critically.

Question 17

Sources of Content by Demographic

Answer 17

1. Age a significant variable in determining how individuals receive their news.
   a. Younger voters more likely to receive news online and through social media.
   b. Older voters more likely to receive news through local stations and print sources.
   c. Wealth similar to elderly variable

Question 18

Traditional Political Participation

Answer 18

Various activities designed to influence government
(Voting, volunteering on a campaign, working for a political organization, contacting public officials, signing a petition)

Question 19

Protest

Answer 19

participations that involves assembling crowds to confront a government or other official organization.
(Americans generally support or oppose protests based on cause and based on means)

Question 20

Digital Political Participation

Answer 20

activities designed to influence politics using the Internet, including visiting a candidate’s website, organizing events online, and signing an online petition

Question 21

Mobilization

Answer 21

process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity

Question 22

Factors contributing to Political Participation

Answer 22

1. Age, Wealth, Race, Socioeconomic Status, Sex, etc. are factors that contribute to one’s ability to participate traditionally.
   a. Older, wealthier, educated white people more likely to vote and face less barriers to vote.
   b. Minority groups, the poor, and the less educated systemically denied to right to vote either directly or as the result of seemingly neutral policy.
2. State Electoral Laws Making it Easier to Register and Vote
   a. Same-Day Registration
   b. Automatic Registration
   c. Mail-in-Voting
3. State Electoral Laws Making it Harder to Register and Vote (disproportionately impacts minority groups)
   a. Voter ID Laws
   b. Election Day Voting
   c. No absentee voting
   d. Early registration only
4. Affirmative Action, Education, and Social Welfare are means of shrinking the participation gap and promoting equality and democracy.

Question 23

Mobilization

Answer 23

1. Targets voters already likely to vote and ensure they do rather than spend resources on unlikely voters and promote democracy.
2. Inequality of factors contributing to participation and mobilization efforts leads to disproportionate turnout rates.

Question 24

Digital Political Participation

Answer 24

1. Social Media, Online Petitions, Email, etc. are forms of online participation.
   a. Theoretically leads to increased offline participation but does not seem to do so in practice.

Question 25

Political Parties

Answer 25

organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices

Question 26

Partisanship

Answer 26

identification with or support of a particular party or cause

Question 27

Two-Party System

Answer 27

a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control

Question 28

Proportional Representation System

Answer 28

seats in government are allocated to political parties based on their share of the total vote cast in the election.

Question 29

Primaries

Answer 29

elections held to select a party’s candidate for the general election

Question 30

Caucuses

Answer 30

a normally closed political party business meeting of citizens or lawmakers to select candidates, elect officers, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters

Question 31

Patronage

Answer 31

the resources available to higher officials, usually opportunities to make partisan appointments to offices and to confer grants, licenses, or special favors to supporters

Question 32

Party Machine

Answer 32

strong party organizations in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century American cities; these machines were led by often corrupt “bosses” who controlled party nominations and patronage

Question 33

Plurality

Answer 33

a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of the votes cast

Question 34

California’s System

Answer 34

California has closed primaries with a top-two primary system meaning the top two primary vote getters (most likely two democrats) proceed to the general election rather than one candidate from each party.

Question 35

Primary/Nomination Process

Answer 35

1. Parties seek to control government and nominate candidates with the most chance of winning, not necessarily the best quality candidate or the candidate that represents the views of most Americans.
2. Early primaries have disproportionate impacts on later elections by signaling to donors likely winners/outcomes.
3. Most active voters participate in primaries leading to extreme members of both parties winning in the primary and moving on to the general election.

Question 36

Function of Parties and Who They Cater to

Answer 36

1. Both parties more likely to legislate in favor of their upper and middle class voters rather than their poor voters
   a. Poor less likely to vote, and politicians seek to maintain power, will naturally favor their most active voter base.
2. Parties seek to distinguish themselves and provide preference cues to voters.
   a. Contributes to polarization.
3. Parties seek to mobilize voters
4. Parties seek to maintain control of government and are very influential in Congress with majority and minority leaders.

Question 37

History of Political Parties

Answer 37

1. Historically opposed at founding, but grew into powerful machines before becoming regulated in the modern party era.
   a. Patronage used to maintain control over the election process where party bosses gave jobs in exchange for votes.
2. Subsequent reforms to finance and campaign laws weakened parties in the election process, although they still have significance.

Question 38

Midterm Elections

Answer 38

congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called off-year elections

Question 39

Primary Elections

Answer 39

elections held to select a party’s candidate for the general election

Question 40

General Election

Answer 40

a regularly scheduled election involving most districts in the nation or state, in which voters select officeholders; in the United States, general elections for national office and most state and local offices are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even numbered years (every four years for presidential elections)

Question 41

Gerrymandering

Answer 41

the apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party

Question 42

Direct Democracy

Answer 42

a system of rule that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies

Question 43

Incumbent

Answer 43

a candidate running for re-election to a position that he or she already holds

Question 44

PACs

Answer 44

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

Question 45

Super PACs

Answer 45

an independent political action committee that may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates

Question 46

501(c)(4)

Answer 46

politically active nonprofits; under federal law, these nonprofits can spend unlimited amounts on political campaigns and not disclose their donors as long as their activities are not coordinated with the candidate campaigns and political activities are not their primary purpose

Question 47

Soft Money

Answer 47

money contributed directly to political parties and other organizations for political activities, such as voter mobilization drives, that is not regulated by federal campaign spending laws

Question 48

Dark Money

Answer 48

a 501(c)(4) is not required to disclose where it gets its funds or exactly what it does with them—as a result, its funding has earned the name “dark money” and has raised growing concern that the lack of transparency in campaign funding threatens fair elections.

Question 49

Incumbency Advantage

Answer 49

Incumbents most likely to win re-election for a number of reasons

a. General animosity towards government does not transfer to animosity to one’s own representative.
i. They have name recognition, access to donors, legislative track record, record of winning elections, franking, etc. that appeal to individual constituents.

Question 50

Direct Democracy

Answer 50

1. Allows voters to vote directly on laws and amendments to state constitutions
2. Increases voter turnout and knowledge in states that have it
3. Taken advantage of by wealthy politicians and corporations, particularly in the United States

Question 51

Polarization

Answer 51

Gerrymandering, winner-take-all system, plurality system, single-member districts, primary elections, and two-party system all factors that contribute to political polarization.