Political Beliefs and Behaviors American political ideology Whats

Political Beliefs and Behaviors American political ideology

What’s your political belief? • Survey given to 10 -14 year olds • One day the President was driving his car to a meeting. Because he was late, he was driving very fast. The police stopped the car. (Finish the story) • Different countries answer differently – England – Queen would be released – France – President would be excused – US – President would get a ticket like everyone else

American Political Culture • Political Culture – a set of widely shared beliefs and values • Values & Beliefs – deep-rooted ideals that shape one’s perception of political issues • Opinion – a specific view about a particular issue or event (not always objective) • Public Opinion – attitudes about institutions, leaders, political issues, and events

CORE VALUES • Liberty and Freedom – Freedom of speech and religion are fundamental parts of American political culture – People should be free to lead their lives with minimal government interference

CORE VALUES • Equality – Political equality – all adult citizens should have equal voting rights – Legal Equality – everyone is entitled to equal treatment before the law – Equality of opportunity – all Americans should have a chance to succeed in life

CORE VALUES • Individualism – Respect for the dignity and importance of each individual – People should be responsible for their own decisions and well-being

CORE VALUES • Democracy – Government should be based on the consent of the governed – The majority has the right to rule – The rights of the minority need to be respected and protected – Citizens have the responsibility to support their local communities

TEST TIP • Many released tests have included questions asking students to identify an answer that is NOT a core value of American political culture • Remember - American political culture does support economic opportunity but it does not support economic equality

Political Socialization • The process by which political values are formed and passed from one generation to the next • People in different social “groups” tend to share certain opinions: group identification

Family • The #1 most important agent of political socialization • Very strong correlation for Political Party support – Children raised in households where both parents strongly identify with the same political party are likely to identify with that political party themselves

Mass Media • The major source of political news • The “new parent” • The Mass Media provides news in small biased pieces called “sound bytes” • There are now cable channels, satellite radio channels, websites, blogs, and other media that cater to and reinforce political ideologies rather than report facts

Education • Schools attempt to instill the basic values and political culture of democracy. • A college education often leads to more liberal views, but more conservative views are often tied to the wealthy – most of whom have a high level of education, but are older. • College graduates do have a higher level of political participation than non-graduates.

Social Groups • People in different social “groups” tend to share certain opinions: group identification • “Blue collar” (Laborer) typically are Democrats • “White collar” (Businessmen) typically are Republicans * Relationship is becoming less clear in recent elections

Gender • More men support defense spending, more women support health care issues • More women consider sexual harassment a serious problem than do men • Since ’ 60 s, women vote Democratic more than men, and vice versa • Not as significant of an indicator as marriage (married vs. unmarried)

Race and Ethnicity • African Americans – 90% Democrats • Hispanic Americans – tend to affiliate with Democrats, but less likely than African Americans (Cubans lean Republican) • Asian Americans – less liberal than Hispanic Americans or African Americans, but still consistently vote Democrat • White, more divided, fluctuates by election

Religion • Protestants are more conservative on economic matters than Catholics or Jews • Jews tend to be more liberal on economic and social issues than Catholics or Protestants • Catholics tend to be more liberal on economic issues than they are on social issues (Catholics are becoming more conservative) • The “Religious Right” is very socially conservative, especially about gay marriage, school prayer, and abortion

Political Ideology • Coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy and the role of government • The terms “liberal” and “conservative” mean different things at different time periods • The extreme wings of both views have become more influential in recent years

The American Voter • 1950’s study of the American electorate • Divided voters into 4 groups: – Ideologues (12%) – strong connection to the policy positions of the major parties – Group Benefits Voter (42%) – political views based mainly on groups they liked or disliked – Nature of the Times Voters (24%) – opinions based on whether things were personally going well or poorly – No Issue Content Voter (22%) – voted based on the likeability of the candidate rather than ideology or issues

Conservative Ideology • Supports – – Expansion of military power Free-market solution to economic problems Less government regulation of business School prayer • Opposes – Expensive federal social and welfare programs – Abortion rights – National health care system

Liberal Ideology • Supports – – – Political and social reform Government regulation of business/the economy Abortion rights National health care system Expanded programs for the poor, minorities, & women • Opposes – Increased military spending – Committing troops to foreign wars – School prayer

“Neo-Cons” • Neo-Conservatives 1. Low tax, pro-economic growth 2. Ordered approach to domestic issues – Traditional values – pro-life, against gay marriage, support death penalty 3. Expansive foreign policy • • Counter global terrorism – “war on terror” expensive

Geographic Region Examples: • East and West Coasts – more liberal • Mid-West – more conservative • Urban - liberal • South – 1870 -1950 s - Democrat “Solid South” but today they are primarily social conservatives • White Southerners always less liberal

Public Opinion • The distribution of individual attitudes about a particular policy issue, candidate, political institution, etc. • Today, these opinions are most often communicated through the media in the form of polls

George Gallup • Developed “Gallup Polls” • Started in 1932 - 1 st “pollster” • Since 1936, Gallup’s agency has picked two general election winners incorrectly (‘ 48 & ‘ 76)

Sampling • Representative – must mirror population you want to be surveyed • Random – give everyone in the target population an equal possibility of being sampled • Sample size – 1500 to 2000 is enough • Wording – questions can’t be leading • Conduct the poll by phone or in person • Straw poll – poor polling technique due to unscientific methods (straw in the wind) • Cell phones have made polling less accurate

Exit Polls • Polling after voting • Tommy Bradley effect (aka Wilder effect) – a theory proposed to explain observed discrepancies between voter polls and outcomes in elections where a white candidate and a non-white candidate run against each other – voters will tell pollsters they are undecided or likely to vote for a black candidate, while on election day they vote for the white candidate – named after Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, an African. American who lost the 1982 California governor's race despite being ahead in voter polls going into the elections – The Bradley effect theorizes that the inaccurate polls were skewed by the phenomenon of social desirability bias

Expanding Suffrage 1. Lifting of property restrictions (1830) – “universal manhood suffrage” gave voting rights to all white males 2. Suffrage for African-Americans (1863 -1964) 1. 1865 - 15 th Amendment – Voting Rights to all 2. 1954 - Brown v. Board – separate but equal is illegal, killed Jim Crow laws 3. 1964 24 th Amendment – banned poll tax 4. 1965 – Voting Rights Act of 1965 – federal law prohibited (no literacy tests, fair elections etc. )

Expanding Suffrage 3. Women’s Suffrage (1920) – 19 th Amendment gave women the right to vote *** Women did have full voting rights in New York and several western states prior to 1920 4. 23 rd Amendment (1961) – District of Columbia residents able to vote for the president 5. 18 -21 year-olds (1971) – 26 th Amendment, sparked by Vietnam *** States can establish a lower minimum voting age if they choose to do so

Types of Participation • Conventional Participation – Voting in elections. – Working in campaigns or running for office. – Contacting elected officials. – Ringing doorbells for a petition. – Running for office.

Types of Participation • Protest as Participation – Protest – Designed to achieve policy changes through dramatic and unconventional tactics. – Civil disobedience – Reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences. – Violence – Riots and fighting.

Voting Presidential Elections • • • 1964 – 69. 3% 1980 – 41. 3% 1984 – 60. 9% 1988 – 40. 5% 1992 – 55. 2% 1996 – 49. 1% 2000 – 51. 3% 2004 – 55. 3% 2008 – 61. 6% 2012 – 58. 2%

Who REALLY participates? 1. Education – MOST IMPORTANT, more education=more voting *Increased level of education historically means one is more likely to vote Republican **2008 was an exception 2. Religious involvement *Jews and Catholics more likely to vote than Protestants **Jews and Catholics more likely to vote democratic than are Protestants

Who REALLY participates? 3. Race and Ethnicity – Whites tend to have higher turnout than minorities (might be economically based) *A major shift of African American voters from the Republican to Democratic party occurred during the 1930’s under FDR 4. Age – 18 -24 is the lowest, and 45 and up is the highest (turnout does decrease after age 70) *Young voters trend Democrat, older voters Republican

Who REALLY participates? 5. Gender – men traditionally voted more, now women are 54% of all voters *women tend to favor Democrats, men generally favor Republicans **This is known as the gender gap 6. Marital Status – married people vote at a higher rate than unmarried people

Who REALLY participates? 7. Income – people with more money are more likely to vote *lower income brackets tend to favor Democrats, higher income voters generally favor Republicans 8. Government Jobs – government workers vote more than those with private sector jobs

Other Reasons to Vote • Motor Voter Act (1993) –allowed people to register to vote while applying for or renewing a driver’s license • Competitive elections have better turnout • Presidential elections have higher turnout • “Civic Duty” – a belief that a citizen should participate in the democratic process • Citizens who see clear policy differences between parties/candidates more likely to vote

Reduced Turnout • Cross-cutting cleavages – voters often belong to more than one group • These individuals are influenced by many different factors • Anything producing cross-pressures will likely reduce voter turnout • It is important when polling or testing these voters that variables are controlled

Other reasons for low turnout • Voter Registration – blamed as one of the causes of low turnout – has reduced fraud • Voter cynicism/distrust about government • Decline of political efficacy • Difficulty of Absentee Voting • Number of Offices we elect too high • Elections too frequent • Weekday, non-holiday voting • Weaker/less organized political parties – less effective “get-out-the-vote” campaigns

Your Mission… • Become educated about the candidates and the issues • Make sure that you are registered • VOTE!!!!!