Ch. 4 Political Culture Have you ever stopped to think about WHY you have the political beliefs and values you do? Where did they come from? Are they simply your own ideas or have you been influenced by others in your thinking ?

Political Socialization… Is defined by political scientists as the process by which individuals acquire their political beliefs and attitudes. What people think and how they come to think it is of critical importance to the stability and health of popular government The beliefs and values of the people are the basis for a society's political culture and that culture defines the parameters of political life and governmental action.

Political Socialization & Other Factors That Influence Opinion Formation Political attitudes are grounded in values. We learn our values by a process known as political socialization. Many factors influence opinion formation. – The Family – The Mass Media – School and Peers – The Impact of Events – Social Groups Religion Race Gender Region

Strongest Fairly equal influence of mother and father When differ, associate with closest parent Impact of growing number of Independents Higher income  More conservative and supportive of Republicans Lower incomes-  More liberal and supportive of Democrats

Conflicting results More education, more conservative College students more liberal than general population Most prestigious-  most liberal Whites: More conservative (more Republican) Blacks: More liberal (strongest support of Democratic Party) >90% Hispanics: Cubans v. Mexican Americans

Protestant: More conservative generally Evangelicals more on social issues and econ Catholic: Traditionally more liberal (Economic) than on social issues Jewish: Most liberal (Strong support for the Democratic Party)

1992 Year of the Woman Clinton and Soccer Moms Gender Gap: Sex sensitive issues, compare to past Soccer Moms NASCAR Dads Coastal Cities Urban areas Solid South Rural areas

The widely-shared beliefs, values, and norms that citizens share about their government.

“ I am not a crook” Vietnam Clinton/Lewinsky Iran Contra hearings Watergate

Day Two Take tolerance survey: How Tolerant are You?

Tolerance What does it mean to be tolerant? Who are you tolerant of? Who are you intolerant towards?

What is unique about American political culture? Survey given to year olds “One day the President was driving his car to a meeting. Because he was late, he was driving very fast. The police stopped the car…” Finish The Story – Different countries answer differently – England, France, United States

Different countries answer differently – England – Queen would be released – France – President would be excused – US – President would get a ticket like everyone else – Why are there different answers? What does this tell you about America’s form of “democracy?”

American Beliefs EconomicPolitical Americans support free enterprise, but support some limits on marketplace freedom Americans support free enterprise, but support some limits on marketplace freedom Americans believe in equality of opportunity but not equality of result Americans believe in equality of opportunity but not equality of result Americans have a widely shared commitment to economic individualism Americans have a widely shared commitment to economic individualism Americans tend to assert their rights Americans tend to assert their rights Emphasize individualism, competition, equality, following rules, treating others fairly but impersonally Emphasize individualism, competition, equality, following rules, treating others fairly but impersonally Some other countries put more emphasis on harmony and equality Some other countries put more emphasis on harmony and equality

Comparing America with Other Nations SwedenJapan Almost all adults vote in national elections, but few participate in any other way Almost all adults vote in national elections, but few participate in any other way Defer to government experts and specialists Defer to government experts and specialists Rarely challenge governmental decisions in court Rarely challenge governmental decisions in court Believe in “what is best” more than “what people want” Believe in “what is best” more than “what people want” Value equality as much as (or more than) liberty Value equality as much as (or more than) liberty Value harmony and observe obligations Value harmony and observe obligations Tend to favor equal pay and top limit on incomes Tend to favor equal pay and top limit on incomes Value good relations with colleagues, group decisions, and social harmony Value good relations with colleagues, group decisions, and social harmony Emphasize importance of being sensitive to personal needs of others, avoiding conflict, reaching decisions through discussion rather than application of rules Emphasize importance of being sensitive to personal needs of others, avoiding conflict, reaching decisions through discussion rather than application of rules

Political Cleavages Are national, ethnic, linguistic, and religious divisions that affect political allegiances and policies. Cleavages can be cumulative or cross-cut Cumulative cleavages pit the same groups of people against one another on many issues, such as religion and class – Example: Catholics tend to be poorer, while Protestants tend to be wealthier. Cross-cut cleavages feature groups sharing common interests on some issues, but opposing one another on others.

Political Efficacy Definition: citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events Political efficacy has two parts -Internal -External

Political Efficacy One’s own understanding and competence of government. Has stayed steady through time Belief one can have an impact on government -Has declined through time - Not shaped by particular events

Americans seem to believe that government is becoming too big to respond to individual preferences Comparison: efficacy is still much higher among Americans than among Europeans