***POLITICAL CULTURE WHAT IS IT? An overall set of values shared by society. SOURCES OF AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Americans are adversarial, distrust political authority and have a preoccupation with rights & liberties. RELIGIOUS BELIEF Americans fear the dark-side of human nature, thus a constitution is necessary to curb it.
INDIVIDUALISM Derived primarily from the American family where the individual has rights and interests that deserve to be addressed. EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY A belief that government should remove artificial obstacles to upward mobility so individuals can rise based upon their desire and qualifications.
DEMOGRAPHICS Three major shifts have taken place within the last thirty years which have influenced political culture in the U.S.: Minority Majority: The ethic shift away from a non- Hispanic, white majority. Regional: People are moving from northern to southern states which changes the influence of those states in the House and Electoral College. Graying (Aging): The larger population of senior citizens has increased the political influence of southern states and put greater strain on Social Security.
***POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION-The manner by which a person develops their political orientation. INFLUENTIAL FACTORS Family (Most influential factor) Education Mass Media Occupation Racial, ethnic and religious background Age Gender Political culture of your youth
Ideology is categorized by individual belief regarding how involved government should be in regulating social and economic behaviors. ***CLEAVAGES:*** The differences in opinions between two demographic groups, called gaps. ***GENDER GAP: The difference between male and female stances on political issues.
STATISTS Socialists, Communists, National Socialists, Globalists Favor state control of/union with key industries like healthcare. Economic, personal, and/or political freedoms are limited either directly or indirectly as a result of government policy. EX: Gun ownership, economic choice, drug laws etc.
LIBERALS Believe in using government power to bring about equal outcomes. (ECONOMIC LEFT) EX: Taxation of producers, economic regulation, Affirmative Action More tolerant of behaviors considered to be outside of social norms (Socially Progressive) EX: Same-Sex Marriage, Transgenderism
CONSERVATIVES Favor limiting state power in the economic sphere to produce opportunity. EX: Low taxes; Reduced government spending President Ronald Reagan is widely regarded as the most popular, and conservative Republican president of the last 50 years. Favor using state power to protect standards of behavior and morality (Socially Orthodox). EX: Drug laws
LIBERTARIANS (Old Liberal ) Favor minimal government involvement in the economy or personal behavior (It s not the government s job to feed you, house you or tell you that you can t smoke that)
Not afraid of death; death is afraid of me Mom and dad were conservative I grew up during the 80s I have a masters degree I am disorganized, but not slovenly I am impulsive and resilient Duty dictates my actions I don t like ambiguity I love creativity I served in the military I am a protestant (Presbyterian)
Red States vs. Blue States RED STATE= A state that tends to have predominantly conservative population and thus votes for Republicans in national elections. CHARACTERIZED BY: Rural Populations Agriculture or service-based economies Lower taxes Lower-than-average income REGION: Southern and Western states.
Red States vs. Blue States BLUE STATE=A state that tends to have predominantly liberal population and thus votes for Democrats in national elections. CHARACTERIZED BY: Large urban centers Manufacturing or tech-based economies Higher taxes High Minority Populations Higher-than-average income REGION: East & West Coast, Midwest.
PUBLIC OPINION LIBERAL CONSERVATIVE
PUBLIC OPINION WEALTHY POOR
PUBLIC OPINION BLACK WHITE
PUBLIC OPINION BLACK HISPANIC
PUBLIC OPINION BLACK ASIAN
PUBLIC OPINION VIETNAMESE KOREAN
PUBLIC OPINION CALIFORNIA LATINOS TEXAS LATINOS
PUBLIC OPINION MEXICAN CUBAN
PUBLIC OPINION WEALTHY PROTESTANT WEALTHY JEW
PUBLIC OPINION COLLEGE PROFESSOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNER
PUBLIC OPINION ASSEMBLY LINE WORKER TRUCK DRIVER
PUBLIC OPINION BLACK PETROLEUM ENGINEER WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
PUBLIC OPINION WHITE JOURNALIST FROM MICHIGAN WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER FROM MISSISSIPPI
PUBLIC OPINION BLACK ARMY VETERAN BLACK COMEDIAN
POLITICAL PARTICIPATION POLITICAL PARTICIPATION=The activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders. Voting Canvassing Petitioning Protests
FACTORS AFFECTING PARTICIPATION Income Education Age PARADOX OF MASS POLITICS The system continues to work despite the fact that the public knows relatively little about politics. Political behavior will in turn be based upon Knowledge of a particular issue (Issue Voters) Noting which groups support/oppose an issue/proposal Perception of how well/poorly the current incumbent is doing
Political Participation/Civic Engagement has been falling due to: Lack of trust in government Mass membership organizations Changes in family structure Suburban sprawl Increasing diversity Electronic entertainment
POLITICAL ELITES POLITICAL ELITES=People actively involved in politics: Politicians Campaign workers Media Special Interest Groups Activists More ideologically pure due to higher information intake and peer groups.
POLITICAL ELITES IMPACT 1. Elite media-ites raise and frame political issues. 2. Set the norms for how an issue should be settled. EX: Environmental issues; foreign affairs QUESTION: Are politicians more polarized because the people are, or vice-versa?
PUBLIC OPINION ***PUBLIC OPINION=How a significant number of people feel about key issues. POLLS Accurate polls require a sample size of at least 1,000-1,500 people and should be as random as possible in order to ensure a broad spectrum of respondents. USES Politicians use polling to determine how to frame policies in order to ensure the broadest appeal. Polls ARE NOT used to set policy
LIMITATIONS: Factions prevent public opinion from being accurately measured. Level of information possessed by respondents The type of issue determines the strength of the response Political Socialization (Ideological and background traits impact responses). Wording of the questions The Bradley Effect