1. Public Opinion and Political Action Based on: Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy 13th AP* Edition Edwards/Wattenberg/Lineberry AND other sources 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

2. 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

3. The American People  The Immigrant Society  United States is a nation of immigrants.  Three waves of Immigration:  Northwestern Europeans (prior to late 19 th Century)  Southern and eastern Europeans (late 19 th and early 20 th centuries)  Hispanics and Asians (late 20 th century)  Melting Pot: the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation

4. The American People Minority Majority: the emergence of a non-Caucasian majority

5. 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

6. 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

7. Political Cleavages  Race, education, gender, class, etc all create political cleavages or separations between groups of people

8. + + + = 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.

9. The American People  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 Political ideology: consistent set of values a person has regarding governmental policy In your notes– draw a picture to differentiate between culture and ideology

10. 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

11. 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.

12. American Political 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 In your table groups, think of a support example for each of these values

13. 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

14. Political Culture applied to Economic Affairs  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 In your table groups, think of a support example for each of these values

15. 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

16. 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

17. Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information

18. 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

19. 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.

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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 mid- 1960s; 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

23. 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

24. Sources of Political Attitudes  Region:  South supports business enterprise; Northeast supports labor unions  South, West and Midwest = conservative  Northeast and West Coast = liberal

25. 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

26. Political Socialization (cont)

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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.

30. 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

31. Political Ideologies

32.  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

33. 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

34. Ideology Quiz  Where do you stand?

35. 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!

36. Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information  How Polls Are Conducted  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 What name comes to mind with the word POLLING?

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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.

40. Question… A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

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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

44.  Class, Inequality, and Participation

45. 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.

46. Homework … Check out the class webpage for the activity on Nye-Verba Participation Levels DUE MONDAY

47. Quick Quiz: 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

48. Quick Quiz:  Name the Amendment or legislation which provided voting rights and abolished restrictions for each of the following: a.Black males– 15 th Am (1870) b.Women- 19 th Am (1920) c.Native Americans- Snyder Act (1924) d.DC residents- 23 rd Am (1961) e.Poll taxes, grandfather clauses, literacy tests- Civil Rights Act 1965 f.18-year olds- 26 th Am (1971) Voting began as a state issue and slowly has come under greater and greater federal regulation

49. 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.

50. 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

51. 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)

52. 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

53. Americans vs. Europeans  Americans engage more in other forms of political participation:  Protesting  Writing letters  Attending meetings  Attending a rally  Joining civic associations

54. 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

55. 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

56. + + + = Sum it up…  Write a summary sentence comparing US and other democratic countries participation patterns.  Share with your table- report out best one.

57. Voter turnout in Presidential Elections, by Age, Schooling, and Race,1964- 1996

58. The Numbers Don’t Lie…  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 19 th century “vote early and often”  Party machines and party counting of votes Or do they???

59. 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.

60. In your table groups…. 4 quiz questions  Write 4 quiz questions on the FRONT of a piece of paper. answers on the BACK  Write the answers on the BACK CLOCKWISE  Pass your paper CLOCKWISE to the next table group.  Answer BOTTOM  Answer the questions on the BOTTOM of the page.  Check your answers.