Unit 4 Vocab Flashcards
The process by which political values are formed and passed from one generation to the next
Political socialization
A patterned and ongoing way of thinking about how politics and government ought to be carried out
Political culture
Guarantee of equal wealth for all citizens, regardless of education or job; not a priority of the USA
Equality of outcome
Every person has the same chances in life; a goal in the USA
Equality of opportunity
The focus on individual rights and responsibilities; each person achieves their own success through hard work; a defining value in the USA
Individualism
The Constitution and legal codes apply equally to all citizens and are accepted by people without question
Rule of Law
An economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control
Free enterprise
Conservative Christians who are pro-life on the abortion issue; strong bloc of the Republican Party
Evangelicals
Statistical data related to the population (e.g. age, race, religion, etc.)
Demographics
The difference between men and women in their opinions or voting behavior
Gender gap
A consistent set of beliefs about what policies the government ought to pursue
Political ideology (ideological)
Strong loyalty to one political party
Partisan (Partisanship)
Political ideology espousing an active and powerful national government for the purpose of economic equality, environmental regulation, and other social problems; pro-choice on abortion and personal freedom issues
Liberal
A person who is non-ideological; mixed views
Moderate
Political ideology espousing a limited role for the government in order to protect individual liberty; most social and economic problems can be solved by the marketplace (supply and demand), private charities, or religious institutions; pro-life (government should make abortion illegal)
Conservative
Political ideology espousing an extremely limited role for the government in both social and economic areas; the national government should only do those things that the marketplace cannot handle (ie. national defense, currency, etc.)
Libertarian
A structure within a society that connects the people to the government
Linkage institution
An organization of people that seek to win elections and control the government
Political Party
Two major political parties dominate the political system; third parties can exist, but they rarely stand a chance of winning elections
Two party system
Organization of workers for better pay, etc.; dominant force in the Democratic Party
Labor Union
Hiring people for government jobs on the basis of their skill, talent, education, job experience etc. (also known as the Civil Service System); began with the Pendleton Act (1883)
Merit system
Any political party other than Democratic or Republican; they can make a difference but rarely win elections
Minor party (third party)
Government officials (or a party boss) awarding government jobs in exchange for political support in the form of votes, campaigning, contributions, etc.
Patronage
A government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls at least one house of Congress; this has been the trend since the early 1970s
Divided Government
A person selecting candidates from both political parties, not just one; a cause of divided government
Split ticket voting (ticket splitting)
Each state is divided into congressional districts, and one representative is chosen from each district by plurality vote; cause of the two-party system in the USA
Single-member district electoral system
An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty; the majority party is displaced by the minority party, thus ushering in a new party era for decades
Critical election/party realignment
Long period of time (decades) where Americans abandon their previous partisan loyalties without taking on an allegiance to a new party; often results in divided government
Party dealignment
How people feel or think about issues or candidates for office
Public opinion
A tool used to measure public opinion about issues or candidates
Opinion Poll
Method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal chance of being selected; essential for accurate polling
Random sample
The number of people that are questioned and included in a poll
Sample size (of a poll)
The difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time; measures the accuracy of a poll…the lower the better
Margin of error (of a poll)
Poll based on interviews conducted on Election Day as voters are leaving their voting precinct
Exit Poll
A type of poll repeated periodically with the same group of people to check and measure changes of opinion or knowledge
Tracking Poll
