1. Unit 3 Review

2. Political culture The Political System – Liberty- preoccupied with rights – Equality- vote, chance to succeed – Democracy -government accountable – Civic duty- help out – Individual responsibility- responsible for actions and well-being Political Culture

3. The Sources of Political Culture: Historical Factors American Revolution was essentially over liberty and asserting rights Spirit of the Constitution was to reconcile personal liberty with social control -asserting and maintaining rights= adversarial culture Distrust of authority reflects belief that human nature is depraved (original sin) Jeffersonian transition reconciled need for and suspicion of government (opposition ok, liberty and change can coexist) Political Culture

4. Mistrust of government Increase since late 1950s? Causes: I am not a crook. I did not have sexual relations with that woman. Peace with honor? Ideas of American Politics

5. The Crisis in Context Level of trust in the 50’s may have been abnormally high…just leveling off now May have been fewer catalysts to express patriotism in 60’s and 70’s Events of 9/11 provided reason for extraordinary outburst of patriotic fervor (=increased trust in govt.) Ideas of American Politics

6. 2 Cultural Camps Orthodox: (fundamentalist Protestants) -morality is as, or more important than self-expression -morality derives from fixed rules from God Progressive: (liberal Protestants or no religious beliefs) -personal freedom is as, or more important than tradition -rules change based on circumstances of modern life and individual preferences  Culture war occurs both between and within religious denominations  Special historical importance: -more people consider themselves progressive today -rise of technology (and media) makes it easier to mobilize Ideas of American Politics

7. Polling How does polling work? – Need to ask reasonable, fairly worded questions Not: Do you think Obama is doing a good job? – Have to ask people about things for which they have some basis to form an opinion – Random sampling necessary – Have to be aware of sampling error (difference b/t results of 2 surveys) 5% or less is good – For populations over 500,000 pollsters need to make about 15,000 phone call to reach 1065 respondents, ensuring the poll has a sampling error of only +/- 3% -increasingly difficult to get (why?) – Reliability harmed by low response rates Public Opinion

8. Socialization: Family Party identification of family is absorbed by children -although this has been declining in recent years  By age 11 over ½ of kids identify with a party Younger voters exhibit less partisanship; more likely to be independent Clear political ideologies are passed on in only a few families -60% of adults still identify with their parents’ political party (although this can change over time) Forming Political Opinions

9. Socialization: Religion Families form and transmit political beliefs through the religious tradition Religious influences on public opinion are most pronounced on social issues Forming Political Opinions

10. Gender Gap Men have become increasingly Republican since the mid-1960’s Women have continued to identify with the Democratic party at the same rate since the 50’s Reflects attitudinal difference between men and women about size of the govt., gun control, social programs, and gay rights Not clear whether gap is as large in minority groups  Marriage matters as much as gender! Forming Political Opinions

11. Socialization: Education From 1920’s-60’s studies showed college has a liberalizing effect (possibly b/c of exposure to liberalizing elites) Contemporary college students’ opinions are more complicated 18-24 year olds favorably disposed toward public sector, but not consistently in favor of small govt. Belief in individual choice (school vouchers, gay rights, etc) is the axial political question In the last generation, increased schooling has not led to increased political participation Forming Political Opinions

12. HUGE Generalizations! Democrats Unskilled workers African Americans and Latinos NE and West Women (more than men) Republicans Affluent white collar Asians South, Midwest Men (more than women) Education is a toss up: College has liberalizing effect, but grads usually end up being affluent white collar workers.

13. “Rule of Thumb” (which is violated a million times every day) Liberal View – Favors bigger welfare state – Favors smaller military establishment – Pro-choice Conservative View – Favors smaller role of government – Support a strong military – Favors prayer in school – Pro-life Political Ideology

14. Liberal Government should provide jobs, medical care, education for all Increased taxation of the rich Strict enforcement of civil rights (affirmative action, etc) More tolerant of protests Legalize marijuana, gay marriage, and protect rights of the accused, stricter gun laws Conservative Government should provide people with adequate personal freedom to conduct their lives as they choose Lower taxes Traditional, family and social values are stressed – No gay marriage – No abortion Seen as tougher on crime Right to bear arms Political Ideology

15. The Nonvoting Problem? Alleged problem: low voter turnout in U.S. compared to Europe – But perhaps not as much of a problem as we think Real problem is low voter registration rates Data tends to compare turnout of voting age population rather than voting eligible population Remember, voting is not the only method of participation Voter Turnout

16. Several causes probably contribute to a real decline – More difficult registration – No uniform national voting system (yeah, we’re looking at you, Florida) – Calculation of turnout- is there really a drop?  Some scholars believe that non-voters mirror voters so their absence has little effect on election outcomes. Voter Turnout

17. Change in Control States initially decided who could vote and for which offices Through various laws and constitutional amendments, Congress has reduced state prerogatives – 15 th Amendment (1870)- voting rights can’t be based on race – “Grandfather Clause” declared unconstitutional 1915 – 19 th Amendment (1920)- women – 23 rd Amendment (1961)-DC – Voting Rights Act of 1965 – 26 th Amendment (1971)- voting age= 18 -influenced by Vietnam National standards now govern most aspects of voter eligibility Voter Turnout

18. Forms of Political Participation (Besides Voting) Litigation Protest/public demonstrations Contacting media or public officials Campaign work, voter registration Campaign contributions Running for/holding political office Political discussion (Way to go, AP Government!) Membership in a political organization Political Participation

19. Causes of Participation Education- more=more Religion- involvement develops skills associated with political participation Gender- equal Race – Black participation is lower, BUT controlling for socioeconomic status, they actually participate at a higher rate Political Participation

20. Factors that Decrease Turnout Youths, minorities pushing down percentage of eligible adults who are registered and vote (Ya darn kids!) Parties less effective in mobilization Remaining registration impediments have negative effects Voting not compulsory Feelings that elections don’t matter Political Participation