AP US GOVERNMENT & POLITICS UNIT 2 REVIEW POLITICAL BELIEFS & BEHAVIORS Public Opinion vs. Political Ideology

• Public opinion: the distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues. • Political ideology: one’s set of beliefs about politics and public policies.

Public opinion = many people, view on often one issue Political ideology = one person, views on many issues • In recent decades a majority of Americans have held the view (public opinion) that the scope of government has gotten too large. • However, at the same time a plurality of Americans have consistently called for more spending on things like education & the military. • Americans at the individual level (political ideology) identify with a variety of positions (i.e. liberal, moderate, conservative, etc.) – Liberals: Individuals who wish to see more government involvement in economic matters (i.e. health care) and less in social issues (i.e. gay marriage). – Conservatives: Individuals who wish to see less government involvement in economic matters (i.e. business regulations) and more with social issues (i.e. school prayer).

How do people get their political ideologies? – Political socialization: the process through which individuals in a society acquire political attitudes, views, and knowledge. • #1 –the Family (Family members have a monopoly on time with young people, which is a critical time for one’s development) – Also . . . The media and school VOTING • Although suffrage has been extended over time in the U.S., not all adults vote. Why?

– Noncitizens In reality, your one vote probably won’t make a – Prisoners & convicted felons difference. – Apathy, lack of interest • However, many people do vote! Why? – Political efficacy (“I can influence the govt!”) – Civic duty (“I should vote because we live in a democracy”) Voter Turnout • In order to vote one must be registered – Qualifications for registration are set by state governments. (Registration helps reduce fraud, but also lowers turnout. The Motor Voter Act helped increased registration by allowing people to register to vote when they get their driver’s license). • Factors that indicates voter turnout: – Education: higher educated people are more likely to understand political issues and figure out the registration process. – Age: older people tend to have more free time, have a lifetime of experience in how politics can affect their lives, while younger people are “too busy” or aren’t even registered yet. – Income: Wealthier people are more likely to vote than the poor. • Generally speaking people are also more likely to vote if the election is seen as important. – For example turnout in. . . • Presidential primaries & midterms – 25% on average • Presidential general election – 50% on average • 2008 Presidential election – 63% How do people vote? • People vote for the candidates whose policy views they prefer (policy voting). As a result, politicians often claim they have a mandate to carryout those policies once elected. (mandate theory of elections). However, many politicians will have murky / cloudy positions on controversial issues in order to not turn off potential voters. • Therefore the party identification (the political party a person is registered with or is more aligned to agree with) has historically been a major factor in determining how a person will vote. • In modern election cycles voters also used “candidate evaluations” (the overall image of the candidate including appearance and integrity). • Some people choose who to vote for by asking “What have you done for me lately?” in regards to incumbents (retrospective voting). • A rather new phenomena in voter behavior has been split ticket voting – where voters will vote for candidates from different political parties on a ballot. • Other factors that indicate how and for whom people vote: – Age – Family – Income – Education – Gender – Ethnic background – Religion – Geography Other forms of political participation

• Political participation: all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. (Voting, Protest, Civil disobedience, Running for office, Writing one’s senator to express their concern about . . .) – Of the conventional (voting, running for office, etc.) and unconventional (protests) forms of political participation, only voting is done by a majority of Americans. • Citizens of higher social economic status (education, income, etc.) tend to participate more in politics than other social groups. – This includes voting, donating money to political campaigns, and attending local political meetings. – This supports the “elite theory” of American democracy. MEASURING TRENDS

• They key tool to understanding American demographics is the census –every 10 years the U.S. government “counts” how many people are living in the U.S. The census is also used to determine representation in the House of Representatives. What has the census revealed and what does it mean for American politics? • An increased number of immigrants – politicians will need to consider the policy views of immigrants; immigration policies are being reconsidered by politicians. • There is a melting pot ‐ politicians will need to consider the policy views of immigrants; minorities (especially Hispanic Americans) will have more political clout. • People are moving to the Sun Belt –The South & Southwest will have more representation in Congress and more influence in the Electoral College. • The “graying” of America –older Americans have more political power; Social Security & Medicare will be affected. Why and how measure public opinion? • Measuring public opinion is important because the U.S. is a democracy (what they people want matters), Politicians want to know how the public views issues in order to create appropriate policy & also get votes. • Measuring public opinion is done through polls / opinion surveys by pollsters. Pollsters have increasingly used phone calls (random‐digit dialing) as a means of collecting data from a large group of people. Although calling is cheaper, in person interviews often give more accurate results. Focus groups (sit‐down interviews with a small group of people) often reveal the best qualitative data. Exit polls are conducted right after someone has voted. • Problems with polling: – Sampling errors (the sample might be too small or not reflect the population) people may be dishonest, survey questions may be biased or crafted wrong. • The effect of polls: – Bandwagon effect (people will change their political behavior in order to match what is popular in the polls) – Politicians and candidates will occasionally use poll data to shape their agenda and campaigns. – Political scientists find out more about public opinion. • What do the polls reveal: – People don’t follow politics very well. – There is a growing distrust toward government. In a nutshell . . .

• As a democracy our “opinions” do matter. • As a group we tend to distrust government, but still want it to do a lot. • As a group we are also changing (demographic changes), which will have political implications. • We mainly participate in politics by voting. – Turnout is usually determined by age, wealth, and education. – Our party ID often determines who we vote for. • As individuals, our political ideology is largely shaped by our family. • Political scientists measure public opinion using polls, but they aren’t always accurate.