PS102 Final Exam Study Guide Flashcards
Citizens’ attitudes about political issues, personalities, institutions, and events.
Public opinion
A process in which individuals take on their communities’ perspectives and preferences through social interactions.
Socialization
A person who generally believes that social institutions (such as churches and corporations) and the free market solve problems better than governments do, that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens’ freedom, and that the appropriate role of government is to uphold traditional values.
Conservative ideology
An individual’s self-conception and sense of belonging based on their political beliefs, values, and affiliations.
Identity politics
Is the collective opinion on a specific topic or voting intention relevant to society. It is the people’s views on matters affecting them.
Race/gender/religion/geography and public opinion
The power of the media to focus public attention on particular issues.
Media Effect: Agenda Setting
Is a scientific survey method designed to measure the public’s views on a specific topic or series of topics.
Public opinion poll sample
A type of error that occurs when the participants in a study are not representative of the target population.
Selection bias
Measures the percentage of voters that have actually taken part in the election (proportion of eligible voters who actually cast a vote).
Elections and voter turnout
An electoral format that presents the names of all the candidates for any given office on the same ballot.
Australian ballot
The process of redrawing the boundaries of electoral districts to reflect changes in population and ensure fair representation.
Redistricting
The drawing of electoral districts in such a way as to give advantage to one political party
Gerrymandering
A direct vote by the electorate on a proposed law that has been passed by the legislature or on a specific governmental action
Referendum
Refer to the trends and behaviors exhibited by different groups of voters in elections, reflecting their preferences and decisions.
Voting patterns and nonvoters
Voting based on the past performance of a candidate or party.
Retrospective
An organized group that attempts to control the government by electing its members to office.
Political parties
The process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office.
Nominating candidates
A primary election in which only those voters who have registered their affiliation with the party by a specified time before the election can participate
Closed primary
Organize people to contest elections and set political agendas and policies to promote common interests, concerns, and goals.
Functions of parties
An individual’s attachment to a particular political party, may be based on issues, ideology, past experience, upbringing, or a mixture of these elements.
Americans’ party identification (ethnicity/gender/income/age)
Political organizations that operate alongside the dominant two parties in a political system.
Third parties
An organized group of people that attempt to influence governmental policies. Also called lobby.
Interest group
The financial or material well-being of individuals or groups, and are organizations that advocate for the economic interests of their members.
Economic interests
The coordinated effort of a group of individuals or organizations to achieve a shared goal or address a common issue, often involving the pooling of resources and efforts to amplify their impact, typically through political or social means.
Collective action
