Transcript THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

THE AMERICAN
POLITICAL SYSTEM
LECTURE 8
POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION AND PUBLIC OPINION
Learning political behavior
 Learning about political ideas, political
systems, our roles in the democratic
political system
 Political socialization: individual level
 Ideas and feelings about issues are
collectively and publicly expressed: public
opinion
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POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
Developed by David Easton and Jack
Dennis
 A generational process passed on from
older people to younger people
 Specific support: allegiance given to the
system by the people because it delivers
what they want
 I.e. I am a Republican because the
Republican Party believes in cutting taxes
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SYSTEM THEORY OF POLITICAL
SOCIALIZATION
Support given to the system even though
presently people are not pleased with its
operation at the moment „my country
right or wrong”
 Paying taxes, even though taxes are too
high
 Stages: politicization: child becomes
aware of authority outside the family,
police officer giving a fine for speeding
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DIFFUSE SUPPORT (SYSTEM
THEORY)
Personalizing outside authority,
associating it with certain people—
President
 Idealizing authority: Police officer is
protective, helpful, good
 Positive feelings towards figures of
authority are transformed into acceptance
of the whole system of government
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SYSTEMS THEORY OF DIFFUSE
SUPPORT
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Political socialization results from a power
relation between the dominant ruling group
and the dominated governed group
Government uses propaganda and censorship
(flags, national anthems, national heroes)
Censorship: (prior restraint)screening
information, which is not in the interest of
the ruling group
Stages of political socialization: childhood,
adolescence, and adulthood
HEGEMONIC THEORY
Family:persistence of political beliefs
through generations
 Beliefs concerning ethnic, racial, religious
groups
 Family identifies child’s identification with
political parties
 Forming the child’s feeling towards
authority
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AGENTS OF POLITICAL
SOCIALIZATION
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Schools: civics classes, national
anthems,
Teacher as an authority figure
Peers: People of similar ages and
interests
Increased influence during adolescence
Media: mass communication Cannot tell
what to think, but can influence what to
think about
AGENTS OF POLITICAL
SOCIALIZATION
Develops during the communication
process
 Person to person communication—more
persuasive, direct, message tailored to
individual, reward system: instant
feedback
 Government and government officials:
declaring nations that are enemies or
friends. How much information is released
about a given issue
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PUBLIC OPINION
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Media:Influence the formation of opinion on
particular issues V. O. Key: reinforcement of
the status quo
Preconceptions: selected exposure to various
messages Republicans do not attend
Democratic Party events
Social settings: the socio-economic status
group of the receiver., ethnic, racial
affiliations
Opinion leaders: avid listeners of the media
passing along its messages according to their
own screening
PUBLIC OPINION
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Straw polls: not scientific, using the mail,
telephone, and other direct communication
messages, asking the „man on the street”
Scientific polling: sampling process
Securing a representative sample: Who will be
interviewed and how will the interview be
conducted
Random sampling: interviewing randomly
selected people at a particular area
Quota method:interviewing a certain number of
people from a certain age, sex, religious, or
ethnic group
MEASURING PUBLIC OPINION