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***POLITICAL CULTUREWHAT IS IT?An overall set of values shared by society.
SOURCES OF AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURETHE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONAmericans are adversarial, distrust political authority and have a preoccupation with rights & liberties.
RELIGIOUS BELIEFAmericans fear the “dark-side” of human nature, thus a constitution is necessary to curb it.
INDIVIDUALISMDerived primarily from the American family where the individual has rights and interests that deserve to be addressed.
EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITYA belief that government should remove artificial obstacles to upward mobility so individuals can rise based upon their desire and qualifications.
DEMOGRAPHICSThree 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)EducationMass MediaOccupationRacial, ethnic and religious backgroundAgeGender 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
• Favor using state power to protect standards of behavior and morality (Socially Orthodox).
• EX: Drug laws•President Ronald Reagan is widely
regarded as the most popular, and
conservative Republican president of the
last 50 years.
• 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 STATE= A state that tends to have predominantly conservative population and thus votes for Republicans in national elections.
CHARACTERIZED BY:Rural PopulationsAgriculture or service-based economiesLower taxesLower-than-average income
REGION: Southern and Western states.
Red States vs. Blue States
Red States vs. Blue StatesBLUE STATE=A state that tends to have predominantly liberal population and thus votes for Democrats in national elections.
CHARACTERIZED BY:Large urban centersManufacturing or tech-based economiesHigher taxesHigh Minority PopulationsHigher-than-average income
REGION: East & West Coast, Mid-west.
PUBLIC OPINION
LIBERALCONSERVATIVE
LIBERALCONSERVATIVE
PUBLIC OPINION
WEALTHYPOOR
WEALTHYPOOR
PUBLIC OPINION
BLACKWHITEBLACKWHITE
PUBLIC OPINION
BLACKHISPANIC
BLACKHISPANIC
PUBLIC OPINION
BLACKASIANBLACKASIAN
PUBLIC OPINION
VIETNAMESEKOREAN
VIETNAMESEKOREAN
PUBLIC OPINION
CALIFORNIA LATINOSTEXAS LATINOS
CALIFORNIA LATINOSTEXAS LATINOS
PUBLIC OPINION
MEXICANCUBAN
MEXICANCUBAN
PUBLIC OPINION
WEALTHY PROTESTANTWEALTHY JEW
WEALTHY PROTESTANTWEALTHY JEW
PUBLIC OPINION
COLLEGE PROFESSORSMALL BUSINESS OWNER
COLLEGE PROFESSORSMALL BUSINESS OWNER
PUBLIC OPINION
ASSEMBLY LINE WORKERTRUCK DRIVER
ASSEMBLY LINE WORKERTRUCK DRIVER
PUBLIC OPINION
BLACK PETROLEUM ENGINEER
WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
BLACK PETROLEUM ENGINEER
WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
PUBLIC OPINION
WHITE JOURNALIST FROM MICHIGAN
WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER FROM
MISSISSIPPI
WHITE JOURNALIST FROM MICHIGAN
WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER FROM
MISSISSIPPI
PUBLIC OPINION
BLACK ARMY VETERANBLACK COMEDIAN
BLACK ARMY VETERANBLACK COMEDIAN
BLACK ARMY VETERANBLACK COMEDIAN
POLITICAL PARTICIPATIONPOLITICAL PARTICIPATION=The activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders.
VotingCanvassingPetitioningProtests
FACTORS AFFECTING PARTICIPATION• Income• Education• Age
PARADOX OF MASS POLITICSThe 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 ELITESPOLITICAL ELITES=People actively involved in politics:
PoliticiansCampaign workersMediaSpecial Interest GroupsActivists
More ideologically pure due to higher information intake and peer groups.
POLITICAL ELITESIMPACT1. 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.
POLLSAccurate 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.
USESPoliticians 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 respondentsThe type of issue determines the strength of the responsePolitical Socialization (Ideological and background traits impact responses).Wording of the questionsThe Bradley Effect
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