Unit 2 Flashcards
Political culture
Overall set of values widely shared within a society
Political ideology
Th coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals
Equality of opportunity
a stipulation that all people should be treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers or prejudices or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified
Equality of results
Reducing material inequalities in households, economic conditions of lives are similar
Civic duty
The responsibilities of a citizen.
Political efficacy
the citizens’ faith and trust in government and their belief that they can understand and influence political affairs. It is commonly measured by surveys
Middle America
The middle class of America
Silent majority
A term used by President Richard Nixon to indicate his belief that the great body of Americans supported his policies and that those who demonstrated against the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War amounted to only a noisy minority
Social status (socio-economic status SES)
an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person’s work experience and of an individual’s or family’s economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation.
Political socialization
The process through which individuals acquire their political beliefs and desires
Gender gap
the discrepancy in opportunities, status, attitudes, etc., between men and women.
Liberal
One who favors governmental involvement in the economy and in the provision of social services and who takes an activist role in protecting the rights of women, the elderly, minorities, and the environment.
Conservative
One who believes that a government is best who governs least and big government should not infringe on individual, personal, and economic rights
Libertarian
One who believes in limited government and no interference in personal liberties
Populist
A member or adherent of a political party seeking to represent the interests of ordinary people.
John Q. Public
a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of society deemed a “ common man.” He is presumed to represent the randomly selected “man on the street.”
Social contract
an actual or hypothetical agreement among the members of an organized society or between a community and its ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each
Political elite
the most informed, educated and politically active people who have a strong influence on public officials.
Random sample
A sample where every person has an equal chance of being selected
Sampling error
Level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll, i.e. sample doesn’t fully represent US
Push polls
Polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate
Bandwagon effect
When people go along with an idea because other people agree with it even if you don’t.
Refusal poll
When the person answering the poll dos not the respond
Exit polls
Used by the media to predict Election Day winners
Tracking poll
Continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart candidates daily rise and fall in support
Skewed question
A question that is asked in a way to make on answer more likely to be picked
Context effect
aspect of cognitive psychology that describes the influence of environmental factors on one’s perception of a stimulus
Opinion-policy congruence
when government is in sync with popular views on some issues, but not on others
Pluralist theory
The theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups
Class (elite) theory
a theory of the state which seeks to describe and explain the power relationships in contemporary society
Hyperpluralism
A theory that asserts that too many groups are getting too much of what they want, resulting in a government policy that is often contradictory and lacking in direction
Traditional democracy
Equality in voting: one person = one vote
●Effective participation
●Enlightened understanding: free press, free speech
●Citizens control the policy agenda
●Inclusion: open citizenship
●Majority rule with minority rights
●Representation
Demographics
statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.
Saliency
The state or quality by which it stands out relative to its neighbors.
Margin of error
A measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll
