Transcript AP US Government & Politics Review Part II

AP US Government & Politics
Review Part II
II. Political beliefs and behaviors
of individuals (10-20%)
Beliefs that citizens hold about their
government and its leaders
Processes by which citizens learn about
politics
The nature of public opinion
The ways in which citizens vote and
otherwise participate in political life
Beliefs that citizens hold about their
government and its leaders
1. Political Culture
A. Definition: a way of thinking about how
political and economic life ought to be
carried out
B. Example: Americans believe more strongly
in political than in economic equality
C. Elements of American view of political
system:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Liberty (rights)
Equality
Democracy (govt. is accountable to the people)
Civic duty
Individual responsibility
Political Culture, continued
D. Americanism vs. Un-Americanism:
strong evidence of existence of a
common political culture
E. Economic System
1.
2.
3.
Support free enterprise
Believe in equality of opportunity, not of
result
Commitment to economic individualism
Political Culture, continued
F. Compared to other nations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Some other nations value community more than
individual
Americans more likely to assert rights and
emphasize individualism, competition, equality,
following rules, treating others fairly
Americans lag behind Europeans in voting rates
but not in other forms of participation
Americans have more confidence in government
institutions
Americans very proud of national identity
Political Culture, continued
G. Mistrust of Government
1. Increased since 1960s
2. Less trust in President, Congress;
more trust in state and local govt
3. Reasons: Vietnam, Watergate
4. Mistrust seems to be specific to
certain leaders, not to the system
Trust in the Federal Government, 19581998
Source: University of Michigan, The National Election Studies (September 1999), table 5A. 1.
Processes by which citizens learn
about politics
1. Origins of political attitudes
A.
Role of family
1.
2.
3.
B.
Party identification of family usually absorbed
Younger voters less partisan
Children less influenced on policy questions than party ID
Religion
1.
2.
3.
4.
C.
Religious tradition impacts political beliefs
Catholic families tend to be more liberal on economic issues
Protestant families more conservative
Jewish families more liberal on economic and social issues
Gender Gap
1.
2.
3.
Men have become increasingly more Republican since mid-1960s
Women have kept same rate of Democratic Party affiliation
Result today is that women vote Democratic more than men
The Party Identification of Men and
Women: 1952-1996
Source: Karen M. Kaufman and John R. Petrocik, “ The Changing Politics of American Men: Understanding the Sources of the Gender Gap,” American
Journal of Political Science 43 (1999): 864-887.
Origins of political attitudes, continued
D. Education
1.
2.
College education has liberalizing effect
The more highly educated people are, the more
likely they are to be liberal
E. Cleavages
1.
2.
3.
Social class less important in US than in Europe
Region: political views today less regionally
distinct than in past
White southerners less attached to Democratic
Party today than in past
Origins of political attitudes, continued
F. Ideology
1.
2.
Coherent set of political beliefs about who ought
to rule, the principles they should obey, and
what policies they ought to pursue
Liberal vs. Conservative:
A. Economic Policy: liberals favor more government
involvement in economy; conservatives want less
B. Civil Rights: liberals favor strong federal action to
ensure civil rights; conservatives want less federal
action
C. Public and political conduct: liberals are more tolerant
on personal behavior issues, conservatives less
D. Most people consider themselves Moderate, which is
somewhere in between liberal and conservative
The nature of public opinion
A.
What is public opinion?
1.
Attitudes, perceptions, and viewpoints individuals hold about
politics and government. Hard to know what it really is, because
A. Public is ignorant (Monetary Control Bill)
B. Public opinion is unstable
C. Wording of polling questions affect outcome
B.
Characteristics of public opinion
1.
2.
3.
Saliency: how important an issue is to a particular group—i.e.,
Social Security to senior citizens
Intensity: how strongly people feel about an issue—NRA
members are much more strongly against gun control than the
average person is in favor of it
Stability: how much does opinion on an issue change over time
The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise
participate in political life
A. Voter turnout
1.
2.
3.
4.
US has lower voter turnout than Western European
Democracies
But when you compare registered voter turnout, US is in
middle of WED
Registration is not easy in US; it’s automatic in many WED
By measures of political participation other than voting,
Americans participate more than Europeans
B. Forms of participation
1.
2.
Voting is most common form; presidential elections have
highest voter turnout
Other forms: campaigning, community activities
Sources of Voter Registration Application, 1995-1996
Source: Federal Election Commission, Executive Summary--Report to Congress, June 1997.
The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise
participate in political life, continued
C. Causes of Participation
1.
More likely to participate if:
A. More educated
B. Attend church
C. Higher socio-economic status
D. Whites participate more than blacks, but not
if socio-economic status is factored out
E. Men and women participate at almost same
rate (women vote slightly more)
Voter Participation in Presidential
Elections, 1860-1996
Source: For 1860-1928: Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics for the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part 2, 1071; 1932-1992: Statistical Abstract of the
United States, 1992, 517.
Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections, by Age,
Schooling, and Race, 1964-1996
Source: Updated from Gary R. Orren, “The Linkage of Policy to Participation,” in Presidential Selection, ed. Alexander Heard and Michael Nelson (Durham, N.C.:
Duke University Press, 1987). Data for 1996 are from Statistical Abstract of the United States 1998, 296, as supplied by Christopher Blunt.