Transcript Political Culture and the American Political Landscape

Political Culture and the
American Political Landscape
Liberalism and Conservatism
A Land of Diversity
Political Socialization
The process by which parents and others teach
children about political values, beliefs and attitudes
Reinforcing Cleavages
Cross-Cutting Cleavages
Divisions within society
that reinforce one
another, making groups
more homogeneous
/similar
Divisions within society
that cut across
demographic categories to
produce groups that are
more heterogeneous
/different
Ex.) Race + income
Ex.) Gender
Sectional Differences
• The most distinct section of the United States
remains the South
– Very conservative region, where religious right
tends to be very strong
Voting Patterns
in the 11 Former
Confederate
States
Where We Live
80% of Americans now live in central cities and their
suburbs
Who We Are: Race and Ethnicity
• 37 million African Americans in US = 13%
of pop.
• Asian Americans = 4%
• Native Americans = 1%
• 41 million American Hispanics = 14%
• Race is often an important demographic in
voting because it is frequently reinforced
by other factors such as income and
education
– Reinforcing Cleavage
Who We Are: Race and Ethnicity
Wealth Distribution in the United States by Race
Who are the Poor?
The Gender Gap
• Men have become increasingly Republican
since the mid-1960s
• Women have tended to identify with the
Democratic Party since the early 1950s
• Reflects differences between beliefs about the
size of government, gun control, social
programs, and gay rights
Who We Are: Gender
Gender and the Vote for
President, 2004
Who We Are: Religion
Who We Are: Wealth and
Income
What are the implications of an unequal
distribution of income for a society’s democratic
stability?
Inequality of Income and Wealth
Shares of Total Household Income Received by Highest and Lowest Income
Groups
• Americans believe in equality of
opportunity but not equality of results
• Aside from race, income may be single
most important factor in explaining views
on issues, partisanship, and ideology
– Most rich people are Republicans, most poor
people are Democrats
Tax Equity
Should the wealthy be taxed at a higher rate--a more
progressive rate--in order to provide more services for the
poor?
Who We Are: Occupation
Who We Are: Age
Percent of Population Over the Age of 65, 1900-2000
Generational Gaps on the Issues
Survey by Washington Post/Henry J. Kaiser Foundation/Harvard University, August 2-September 1, 2002, as reported in
Elizabeth Hamel et al., "Younger Voters," Public Perspective, May/June 2003, p. 11.
Educational
Attainment in
the United
States
Public Opinion:
Beliefs About Fairness
Q. Some people say there’s not much opportunity in
America today--that the average person doesn’t have
much chance to really get ahead. Others say there’s
plenty of opportunity and anyone who works hard can go
as far as they want. How do you feel about this?
– Plenty of opportunity
– Not much opportunity17%
– Don’t know
81%
2%
(Responses to a Gallup Poll)
Changes in the Sense of Political Efficacy,
1952-2000
University of Michigan, The National Election Studies.