Unit 4 Flashcards
What are the two groups on the spectrum of political belief
Conservatives and liberals
What is individualism
Belief in the fundamental worth and importance of an individual. A value of American society and political life rooted in the Enlightenment.
What is enlighted self-interest
Belief that one’s self-interst is best served when the goals of the group are also considered
What is free enterprise?
The belief that the gov should use laissez-faire approach to guide the interactions of producers and consumers.
What is the right of law
The principle of a government that establishes laws that apply equally to all members of society and prevents the rule and whims of leaders who see themselves above the law
What is limited government
The desire to have a government that is under control by law and by checks and balances and the separation of powers
T or F: Both parties have embraced the idea of limited gov (at some point in time)
True
What is ideology
The comprehensive and mutually consistent set of ideas that a person holds
What are valence issues
Concerns/policies that are viewed the same way by people of various ideologies
What are wedge issues
Issues that sharply divide the public
Issues of high saliency are those of high _______
importance
Describe libertarian beliefs
- Generally oppose gov. intervention/regulation
- High regard for civil liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights
- Oppose censorship, want lower taxes, and dislike gov imposed morality
Describe progressive’s beliefs
- Criticized traditional political establishments that concentrated too much power in one place (gov or businesses)
- Believe in workers’ rights and that the wealthy should pay a bigger tax
Describe the populists
= Generally follow fundamental Christian ideal
- Tend to come from working class families in the South/Midwest
What is globalization
The process of the ever-expanding and increasingly interactive world economy
What is political socialization
The process by which one develops political beliefs. Begins early on and continues throughout one’s life
What are millenials’ views generally
- More progressive
- Generally support gov action
What even most affected Millenials’ formative years
The 9/11 attack and the War on Terror afterwards
What are life cycle effects
Include a variety of physical, social, and psychological changes that people go thru as they age. Can change a focus of a person’s issues
What is benchmark polling
The type of polling used in an election; used to gather general accounts of ppl’s opinions before the president has declared his/her intentions
What do tracking polls do
Ask people the same/similar questions over a period of time to “track” the path of public opinion =. Used heavily during election season to show how public opinion changes/ to assess a candidate’s strength
What are entrance and exit polls
Polls that are taken on Election day on the way in/out of an election center; used to gain insight into voter behaviors and identify/analyze how different voting demographics actually voted
What are focus groups
Groups of small citizens gathered to hold conversations about issues/candidates; give deeper insight on a topic.
What are approval ratings
Gauged by pollsters asking whether the respondent approves of the president’s hob of performance.
What does “framing” a question in polling refer to
Posting it in a way that emphasizes a certain perspective; also affects the poll
What type of sample to pollsters use to have a good sample
A random sample
What is random-digit dialing
A computer randomly calls possible ppl in a given area until enough ppl are reported to establish a representative sample
What is it called when you manipulate a sample to have more equal statistics (ex: there are too many men who answered in a sample, so you remove some of their responses)
Weighing or stratification
What is a sampling error
The difference between poll results
What is push polling
A telephone poll with an ulterior motives; attempts to push a person into a negative/positive statements about one candidate
What is the bandwagon effect
A shift of support towards a candidate/position holding the lead in public opinion polls and thus believed to be endorsed by many people.
What is the effect of the bandwagon effect
Partially responsible for the direct link between a candidate’s rank in national polls and the ability to raise campaign funds
What is the social desirability bias and how does it affect polls
Its the idea that people may tell the pollster what they think the pollster wants to hear; affects predictions of voter turn out and causes misreads/errors in polls
Describe the libertarian party
- Fewer than Dems and Reps
- Tend to believe as liberals do on most social issues and as conservatives do on many economic issues
- Central tenet - gov’s role should be limited to protecting private property, resolving disputes, and supporting free trade
What is majoritarian policy making
Emerges from the interaction of people with gov in order to put into place and carry out the majority’s will
How do interest groups affect public policy
- Fund candidates who support their agendas
– Push for specific areas of public policy
What approach to policy making do interest groups represent
Represent a plutarist approach, where interest of the US’s diverse populations compete to create policy that benefits them
What is fiscal policy
Concerned with government spending and taxation; argues that if left to its own devices, the economy won’t necessarily be at full capacity. The gov should create the right level of demand (AKA significant gov involvement and regulation)
What is supply-side economics
Idea that the gov should leave as much as the money making supply as possible with he people, letting the laws of the economy government the market. A laissez-faire approach that will supposedly let the gov collect more money off of taxes when ppl spend more
What did the 16th Amendment do
Allowed Congress to tax people’s incomes
What is a progressive tax
One’s tax rate increases (progresses) as one’s income increases
