Public Opinion Public Opinion Did the Framers intend
Public Opinion
Public Opinion • Did the Framer’s intend for our government to mirror public opinion? • What part of our government protects against public opinion or “popular passions”?
Checks on American Govt. from Public Opinion • Representative govt. –(Federalist 10 & creation of republic) • Federalism • Separation of powers • BOR • Independent judiciary
Public Opinion • The attitudes, perceptions, and viewpoints individuals hold about government and politics • Influenced by political culture and political socialization • Skewed by limited political education and efficacy • Shaped by government, interest groups, and mass media
Development of Polls • • Based on the ideas of Geogre Gallup Random Sample 1000 -1500 Valid Questions – Clear, fair, unbiased, not misleading • Control of poll – Tone of question, basic knowledge of issues • Anaylysis – Sampling errors (+ or – 3%), time and place of poll
Political Socialization • Process through which an individual acquires political opinions and assimilates into our nation’s political system • Agents of socialization – Family – School – Peer Groups – Mass Media
Political Ideology
Political Ideology • Consistent set of beliefs and values about govt. and public policy – Voting patterns and stances on issues • Broken down into two categories – Liberals – Conservatives
Definitions since 1932 • Liberals – Supports an active national govt. that will intervene in the economy and create social welfare programs • Conservatives – Supports individualism and personal responsibility (free market) – States’ rights over national supremacy
Foreign Policy • Conservatives – Believe we should maintain peace through strength – More likely to support military intervention – Spend more • Liberals – Believe we should spend less – Less willing to commit troops to action
Social Policy • Conservatives • Liberal – Support “right to – Support “freedom life” of choice” – Supportive of – Opposed to faith school prayer based initiatives – Oppose affirmative – Support action affirmative action – Against same sex – Support same sex marriage
Economic Policy • Conservatives • Liberals – Favor free market – View govt. as regulator in the – Want to keep taxes public interest low – Want to raise taxes – Want to keep on the rich spending low – Want to spend more on the poor
Crime • Conservatives – Believe we should stop “coddling criminals” – Believe we should stop letting criminals hide behind laws – Support the death penalty • Liberals – Believe we should solve the problems that cause crime – Believe more in protecting rights of the accused rather than punishing criminals – Do not support death penalty
Factors that Affect Public Opinion
Religion • Religious influences on opinion most pronounced on social issues • Jews are the most liberal demographic group today • Catholics tend to be liberal • Protestants tend to be conservative • Fundamentalist Christians (born again or evangelicals) are the most conservative groups today socially • Christian Coalition- Republican affiliation, was once very powerful grassroots organization • Atheist or agnostics are more liberal than conservative
Gender Gap • Women are more likely to support the Democratic party • Men have become increasingly Republican since the 1960 s • Biggest reason for gap: size of govt. , gun control, spending programs aimed at poor, and gay rights, environmental protection, universal healthcare
Education • Increased schooling leads to greater political activity • College tends to have a liberalizing affect on students • Students at the most prestigious or selective colleges are the most liberal of all
Married v. Unmarried • Singles are more likely to vote for Democratic candidates • Married voters are more likely to support Republicans
Sexual Orientation • Homosexuals tend to side with liberal policies especially regarding social issues • Homosexuals concentrated in urban areas • Strong religious affiliations compel most heterosexuals to deny equal rights to homosexuals
Social Class • Americans vote less based on class than Europeans • The main reason is COLLEGE- the great equalizer of the social classes. • This factor has recently been the most unclear and hardest trait to predict
Social Class • Lower-class – Limited education – Prefer more government economic intervention – Tend to vote Democrat, but low voter turnout • Working-class (blue-collar) – Tend to vote Democrat, but subject to other influences – White blue-collar workers tend to vote more Republican • Middle-class (white-collar) – Tend to be split and dependent on other influences • Upper-class – Tend to vote Republican with pro-business policies and less government economic intrusion
Race and Ethnicity • Whites vote more Republican – Support death penalty, more defense spending • Blacks vote more Democrat – Affirmative action, national healthcare • Hispanics vote more Democrat – immigration • Asians vote more Republican 2008 Democratic primary campaign between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton – Conservative culture
Region • New England - more liberal • Southeast/Bible Belt - more conservative • Midwest - more conservative • Pacific - more liberal • Urban - more liberal/Democratic • Suburbs/small towns - more conservative • Rural - more conservative/Republican • “Solid South”
Cleavages in Public Opinion • Public opinions are never absolute and always overlap • Examples: – Blacks vote Democrat due to support on affirmative action and equality policies, but most blacks are against gay marriage – Cubans vote Republican despite majority of Hispanics voting Democrat for immigration policies – A blue-collar worker would vote Democrat for prounion policies, but votes Republican due to conservative religious traditions – Though men tend to vote more Republican than women, most men support pro-choice policies
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