public opinion Flashcards
public opinion
the distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues
- difficult to assess
public opinion on presidents are usually
higher approval ratings at beginning of their first term and then tend to decline
the role of polls in american democracy
help politicians detect the public preference
what do critics say about polls
polls make politicisans think more about following than leading the public
by altering the wording of a question, pollsters can usually get the results they want
negative impact of polls
they may distort election process
bandwagon effect
supporting a candidate simply because they see others doing so
exit polls
used by the media to predict election day winner; most widely criticized
may discourage people from voting
how are polls conducted
samples are taken where small proportions of people are chosen in a survey to be representative of the whole
random sampling is another key technique where people have an equal probability of being selected
margin of error is calculated
push polls
polls that seek to push out a negative information about a candidate rather than seeking to measure public opinion
what do polls reveal about americans
they don’t know much about politics
americans dont know how basic beliefs affect the politics of government
political socialization
the process through which an individual acquires a particular political or tie ration
orientation grows firmer with age
process of political socialization
family
media
school
political ideology
a coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose
the gender gap in politics
about 51% of population are women
they are less conservative than men
more likely to support democrats
meaning of a liberal = classically
a person who favored personal and economic freedom and is against centralized power
meaning of conservative = classically
a person who opposed the excesses of the French Revolution
supported a restoration of the power of the state, the catholic church, and the aristocrat
want a small government
liberal meaning now
those who support an active federal government
-intervene in the economy
-create social welfare programs
-help certain groups acquire greater bargaining power
-promote equality
conservative meaning now
those who support a more limited federal government
favor free market
state’s rights over national supremacy
greater reliance on individual responsibility and choice in economic affairs
traditional jude’s-christian values
founding fathers beliefs on political parties
george washington feared that political parties could be forums for corruption and national divisiveness
james madison warned of the mischiefs of factions
what is a party
winning elections is a party;s core function
weak and decentralized structure
party in the electorate, party as an organization, party in government
party functions: channel of communication
linkage institutions
between voters and their government
party functions- pick candidates/run campaigns: \
provide electoral resources
grassroots, mobilization, fundraising, etc
party functions - give cues to voters/articulate policies
a canddiate’s party affiliation should make connection to political ideology and policies
foreign policy, entitlements, taxation
party functions - coordinate policymaking
branches of government : all major public officials belong to a party
why a two party system
winner take all system
single-member districts: only one candidate from each district is elected in house
eliminated any chance of the smaller parties getting any representation
proportional represeentation
legislative seats awarded based on votes receivers by the party more votes= more seats
coalition governmnet
two or more parties join to form a majority in a national legislatuer
why might the two party system be good
serves critical functions with structure
sorts out list of candidates
discourages extreme views
provides stability
why might the two party system be bad
contributes to political ambiguity
parties recruit personalities with high names that might not be qualified
divided government
third parties
rarely win
are conduits for popular discontent and draw attention to controversial issues
propose innovative solutions to problems
spoiler role
green party
environmentalism
corporations exploit average americans
strong federal government
splinter of far left wing
libertarian party
very limited government
government has two functions: protect private property and individual liberty
people should choose what they want and live life in their own way
party machines
a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material incentives to win votes and to govern
patronage = promotion or contract given for political reasons rather than. merit or competence
party eras
historical periods in which a majority of votes cling to the party in power
critical election
an electoral earthquake where new issues and new coalitions emerge
party realignment
the displacement of majority party by the minority party
are parties over
political parties are no longer the main source of information for voters
yet parties play a large role because majority of people still identify with parties
Civil Rights Act 1964
prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin
grandfather clause
an exemption that allows people or groups to continue with activities or operations that were approved before the implementation of new rules, regulations, or laws
literacy test
