Transcript Public Opinion- Kirby

Based on: Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy 13th AP* Edition
Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry
AND other sources
Public Opinion and
Political Action
CO: SWBAT explain
• the key American political values,
• agents of socialization and the effects of those
agents on a person’s voting behavior
• characteristics of polls
• use key vocabulary appropriately
Introduction
Public Opinion
The distribution of the population’s
beliefs about politics and policy issues
Politicians and columnists often say “the
American people” yet not 100% of
Americans agree on much of anything
300 million Americans are racially, ethnically,
and culturally diverse
America founded on principle of individualism
and is still a fundamental idea today
The American People
The Immigrant Society
United States is a nation of immigrants.
Three waves of Immigration:
Northwestern Europeans (prior to late 19th
Century)
Southern and eastern Europeans (late 19th and
early 20th centuries)
Hispanics and Asians (late 20th century)
Melting Pot: the mixing of cultures, ideas,
and peoples that has changed the
American nation
The American People
Minority Majority: the emergence of a non-Caucasian
majority
The American People
The Regional Shift
Population shift
from east to west
Reapportionment:
the process of
reallocating seats
in the House of
Representatives
every 10 years on
the basis of the
results of the
census
 Result= political
power shifts
The American People
The Graying of America
Fastest growing age group is over 65
Potential drain on Social Security
Pay as you go system
In 1942, 42 workers per retiree
In 2040, 2 workers per retiree
Political Cleavages
Race, education, gender, class, etc
all create political cleavages or
separations between groups of
people
+++ =
Sum it up…
Write a POWER summary
sentence about the changing
demographics of the US.
ID what being summarized / power verb
/ big idea
Share with your table- report out best
one.
The American
Political ideology:
Peopleconsistent set of values a
person has regarding
governmental policy
While every person has their own
political beliefs (ideology), there are
key values which makeup our political
culture
Political culture is an overall set of
values widely shared within a
society.
It is a patterned way to think about
how political and economic life should
be carried out
In your notes– draw a picture to differentiate
between culture and ideology
American Political Culture
Political Culture consists of
fundamental assumptions of how
political process should operate
EX: Peaceful transfer of power:
Office holder will step down at end of term
Loser of an election will not hinder winner
from taking office
Which of these do you agree
with?
1. I should mostly be allowed to do as I
want as long as I don’t hurt others.
2. Everyone’s vote should be equal and
all should have a chance to
participate.
3. The government should listen to the
people and do what the people want.
4. Citizens should take community
affairs seriously and participate when
possible.
5. Individuals are responsible for their
own actions and well being.
In your table groups, think of a support
American
Political
Values
example for each of these values
 Liberty: Americans believe they should
mostly be allowed to do as they please as long
as don’t hurt others
 Equality: Everyone’s vote should be equal
and all should have a chance to participate
 Democracy: Government officials should be
accountable to people
 Civic Duty: Citizens should take community
affairs seriously and contribute when – act in
the common good
 Individual Responsibility: Individuals are
responsible for their own actions and well
being
American Political Culture v. Abroad
American are more contentious than
other countries who value harmony and
emphasize obligations over rights
Americans vote less than other
democracies but participate more
Campaigning, attending political meetings,
contacting officials)
American generally mistrust
government, we have greater
confidence than many places
In your table
groups,applied
think of ato
support
Political
Culture
example Affairs
for each of these values
Economic
 Liberty: free-enterprise system with
certain boundaries; support for
government regulation to prevent
monopolies and correct specific abuses
 Equality: economic inequality tolerated
more than political inequality; “equality of
opportunity” not “equality of results”;
support education and training programs
but oppose preferential treatment
 Individualism: personal responsibility;
support people truly in need but skeptical
to give aid to those who can care for
selves
American Economic Political
Culture v. Abroad
Foreign governments often support
programs which stress economic
equality of results
American are more likely to think
freedom is more important than
equality and less likely to think hard
work goes unrewarded
Religion’s Influence on
Political Culture
 American becoming more religious
54% American attend worship services more
than 1/month
82% consider themselves “religious person”
(more than any European country)
Religious organizations are the major source
of volunteer and community service
Religious movements have overlapped with
political ones (Moral Majority in 80s; Christian
Coalition in 90s) – cue from MLK and Civil
Rights Movement
Candidates for national office are well advised
to stress virtue of religion in campaigns
Measuring Public Opinion
and Political Information
Distrust in the Government
Continual decline since late 1950s
“government officials don’t care”
1952: 33% Americans; 1992: 66%
Americans
Comment on PEOPLE not SYSTEM
Result of scandals or level of greatness
could never have been maintained
Peaked again after 9-11 but then
declined again
Where were we?
 Every person needs a sheet of paper with
their name at the TOP.
 Write a quiz question over what we
discussed Monday and Tuesday.
 Pass the paper to the person ACROSS FROM
YOU. Answer the question you were just
handed and write your name under your
answer.
 Give the paper back to its original owner.
Was this what you expected as an answer- if
not, correct ON PAPER.
 Discuss questions and answers as a group.
 TURN THIS PAPER IN.
Political Efficacy
 Political Efficacy: individual’s capacity
to understand and influence political
events
1. Internal: ability to understand and take
part in politics
2. External: ability to make system
respond to the citizenry
 Since 1960s sharp drop in external
efficacy; little change in internal
 Hard to pinpoint why, but may be growth in
size and conclusion people made that
government is too big and pervasive to
respond to citizen preferences
Political Tolerance
 Democracy depends on civic discourse
which require tolerance of different
political opinions
 Most Americans willing to let people they
politically disagree with have great latitude
in expressing their views
 On whole, Americans have become more
tolerant but believe we tolerate too much
 Most Americans believe serious civic
problems are rooted in the breakdown of
moral values and worry nations becoming
too tolerate of behaviors that will harm
society
Sources of Political Attitudes
 Religion
Catholics more liberal on economic issues
than white Protestants
Jewish families more liberal on economic and
social issues than Catholics or Protestants
 Gender
Extent and tendencies varies over time
Men increasingly Republicans since mid1960s; women’s voting behavior little
changed (68% Democrat)
Gender gap: women tend to be less
conservative than men
Reason for gap is attitudes re: gun control,
spending programs for poor, gay rights
Sources of Political Attitudes
 Social Class:
 Plays less a role in US than Europe; declining
effect
 Unskilled workers more likely to be Democrats
than affluent white-collar workers
 Race and Ethnicity:
 African-Americans more likely to be Democrats;
whites Republicans
 Declining effect
Young African-Americans identifying Republican
Latinos = Democrats but less than African Americans
but Cuban Americans more conservative than Mexican
Americans
Asian Americans more Republican than whites but
Japanese Americans more conservative than Korean
Americans
Sources of Political Attitudes
Region:
South supports business enterprise;
Northeast supports labor unions
South, West and Midwest =
conservative
Northeast and West Coast = liberal
How Americans Learn About
Politics: Political Socialization
Political Socialization: “the
process through which and
individual acquires [their]
particular political orientation”
Political Learning Over a Lifetime
Aging increases political participation and
strength of party attachment.
Orientation grow firmer with age
Political Socialization (cont)
The Process (Agents) of
Political Socialization
The Family
Political leanings of children often
mirror their parents’ leanings
The Mass Media
Now chief source of information as
children age (replaced parents)
Elderly watch TV news; younger ages
watch more TV but NOT politics
Political Socialization (cont)
School
Used by government to socialize young
into political culture
Better-educated citizens are more
likely to vote and are more
knowledgeable about politics and
policy.
College students more liberal than
general population; longer stay in
college, the more liberal they become
What about you?
Think about the different agents
of socialization. How have each
influenced your political beliefs?
Write a summary sentence
explaining each agent and how
it has influenced you personally.
Political Ideologies
Political Ideology: A coherent set of
beliefs about politics, public policy, and
public purpose
Who Are the Liberals and Conservatives?
Moderates largest group, then conservatives,
liberals the smallest
Views have changed over time
Can be both liberal and conservative-EX: Liberians= economic conservative and
social liberal
Political Ideologies
Political Ideologies
More activist a person is, the more
consistent their ideology is and
more extreme liberal/conservative
views
National convention delegates and
members of Congress have a high
degree of consistency
Political Elites’ Effect on
Masses
 Political Elites: have a disproportionate
amount of power in policy making
Tend to be more liberal/conservative than
population
Have greater access to media and thus able
to shape mass views
Ex: environmentalism
Determine range of acceptable policy options
Cannot hide facts however (like
unemployment rates) but try to shape
understanding and people must discriminate
between public opinion and elite opinion
Ideology Quiz
Where do you stand?
I AM POEM
Write an I AM poem using
what you just learned about
your ideology.
Include information regarding
how you got your political
values!
Measuring Public Opinion and
Political Information What name comes
 How Polls Are Conducted
to mind with the
word POLLING?
 Sample: a small proportion of people who are
chosen in a survey to be representative of the
whole
1K-1500 people adequate to represent potential voters
 Random Sampling: the key technique employed
by sophisticated survey researchers which operates
on the principle that everyone should have an
equal probability of being selected for the
sample
 Sampling Error: the level of confidence in the
findings of a public opinion poll
+/- 3% means results accurate 95% of time
The Role of Polls in American
Democracy
Polls help politicians detect public
preferences.
But critics say polls make politicians
think more about following than
leading public
Even though politicians do not track
opinion to make policy but rather
phrases to garner support
Polls may distort election process by
creating a bandwagon effect
Role of Polls in American
Democracy (cont)
Exit Polls: used by the media to
predict election day winners
May discourage people from voting
Winner declared in several elections before
polls closed on West Coast
Question wording (and delivery)
may affect survey results
Measuring Public Opinion and
Political Information
What Polls Reveal About Americans’
Political Information
Americans don’t know much about politics.
Americans may know their basic beliefs but
not how that affects policies of the
government.
The Decline of Trust in Government
Since 1964, trust in government has
declined.
Trust in government has gone up somewhat
since September 11.
Question…
A pollster who conducts a poll by
holding voluntary interviews is in
jeopardy of collecting inaccurate
data because he or she failed to
take into account
a. Objectivity in answer categories
b. Intelligence level of interviewee
c. Length of interview
d. Necessity of a random sample
e. Impartial question vocabulary
Sample AP Exam Question….
Public opinion polls are a way to link the public with elected
officials. Members of Congress often use polls to understand the
views of their constituents, but they must also pay attention to
other political considerations.
a. Identify two characteristics of a valid, scientific, public
opinion poll.
b. Explain why each of the following enhances the influence of
public opinion on the voting decisions of members of
Congress.
 Strong public opinion as expressed in polling results
 Competitive re-elections
c. Explain why each of the following limits the influence of
public opinion on the voting decisions of members of
Congress.
 Legislators’ voting records
 Party leadership
How Americans Participate in
Politics
Political Participation: all the
activities used by citizens to
influence the selection of
political leaders or the policies
they pursue
Conventional Participation
Voting in elections
Working in campaigns or running for
office
Contacting elected officials
Donating to campaigns
How Americans Participate in
Politics
Unconventional Participation
Protest: a form of political participation
designed to achieve policy changes
through dramatic and unconventional
tactics
Civil Disobedience: a form of political
participation that reflects a conscious
decision to break a law believed to be
immoral and to suffer the
consequences
Violence: though supported by few, it
has produced results
Class, Inequality, and Participation
Understanding Public Opinion
and Political Action
 Public Attitudes Toward the Scope of
Government
 Many people have no opinion about scope of
government.
 Public opinion is inconsistent, which may lead to
policy gridlock.
 Democracy, Public Opinion, and Political
Action
 Americans select leaders, but do they do so
wisely?
 If people know little about candidates’ issues, how
can they?
 People vote more for performance than policy.
Homework…
DUE MONDAY
Quick Quiz:
(discuss in table groups)
Name the Amendment or
legislation which provided voting
rights and abolished restrictions
for each of the following:
a. Black males
b. Women
c. Native Americans
d. DC residents
e. Poll taxes, grandfather clauses,
literacy tests
f. 18-year olds
Quick Quiz:
 Name the Amendment or legislation which
provided voting rights and abolished
restrictions for each of the following:
a. Black males– 15th Am (1870)
b. Women- 19th Am (1920)
c. Native Americans- Snyder Act (1924)
d. DC residents- 23rd Am (1961)
e. Poll taxes, grandfather clauses, literacy testsCivil Rights Act 1965
f. 18-year olds- 26th Am (1971)
Voting began as a state issue and slowly
has come under greater and greater federal
regulation
Voting now……
National standards now govern
voting
No literacy, property, nor residency
requirement
Ballots printed multi-lingual
Federal voter registrars and poll
workers sent in where 50% or less
of voting-age pop. Participated in
last presidential election.
Voting
View that Americans don’t vote due to
apathy is wrong:
Once registered, Americans do vote
 Turnout : 50% in prez; 30%-40% in midterms; lower in
state and local elections
Factors to voting include:
Age
Race
Party organization
Barriers to registration
Popular views of significance of election
More Factors Influencing
Voting
Strong and charismatic
candidates tend to motivate voters
Party Affiliation (strongest
predictor) though more split-ticket
voting
Issues: retrospective (things have
gotten worse) vs. prospective
voting (looking ahead at what will
be)
Americans vs.
Europeans
Comparatively Americans vote at lower
rates than other countries
But voting for more offices in more
elections whereas Europeans vote for
one member of Parliament every 4-5
years
Other nations penalize for nonvoting
Americans vs. Europeans
Americans engage more in
other forms of political
participation:
Protesting
Writing letters
Attending meetings
Attending a rally
Joining civic associations
American vs.
Europeans
Voting registration
in US must actively register
in Europe, automatic
Motor-Voter Law (can register at
DMV) passed in 1993 had taken effect
by 1995 and voter turnout increased
initially but mixed results since
Voting reforms:
 Australian ballot spread to Europe and the
United States to meet the growing public and
parliamentary demand for protection of voters.
(1890)
 Government printed ballots, not parties
 Uniform in size and shape
 Secret and secure
 What were allegations from election 2000???
let’s pause to laugh at Florida for a bit…
 1000 voted for all 10 candidates
 3600 voted for all but Bush
 700 voted for all but Gore
 7000 voted for Bush and Gore
+++ =
Sum it up…
Write a summary sentence
comparing US and other democratic
countries participation patterns.
Share with your table- report out
best one.
Voter turnout in Presidential
Elections, by Age, Schooling, and Race,19641996
Or do
The Numbers Don’t Lie…
they???
Late 1800s- 70-80% eligible voters
voted; today between 50-60%
2 views
1. Voter decline is REAL due to decline in
election interest
 Major parties so close there is no real
difference
2. Decline is more APPARENT then REAL
 Voting fraud common in late 19th century
“vote early and often”
 Party machines and party counting of votes
Summary
American society is ethnically
diverse and changing.
Knowing public opinion is important
to a democracy, just as polling has
costs and benefits.
Americans know little about politics.
Political participation is generally
low.
In your table groups….
Write 4 quiz questions on the
FRONT of a piece of paper.
Write the answers on the BACK
Pass your paper CLOCKWISE to
the next table group.
Answer the questions on the
BOTTOM of the page.
Check your answers.