AP US Government & Politics Review Part II

II. Political beliefs and behaviors of individuals (10-20%) Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders Processes by which citizens learn about politics The nature of public opinion The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life

Beliefs that citizens hold about their government and its leaders

1.Political Culture A. Definition: a way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out B. Example: Americans believe more strongly in political than in economic equality C. Elements of American view of political system: 1. Liberty (rights) 2. Equality 3. Democracy (govt. is accountable to the people) 4. Civic duty 5. Individual responsibility

Political Culture, continued D. Americanism vs. Un-Americanism: strong evidence of existence of a common political culture E. Economic System 1. Support free enterprise 2. Believe in equality of opportunity, not of result 3. Commitment to economic individualism

Political Culture, continued F. Compared to other nations 1. Some other nations value community more than individual 2. Americans more likely to assert rights and emphasize individualism, competition, equality, following rules, treating others fairly 3. Americans lag behind Europeans in voting rates but not in other forms of participation 4. Americans have more confidence in government institutions 5. Americans very proud of national identity

Political Culture, continued G. Mistrust of Government 1. Increased since 1960s 2. Less trust in President, Congress; more trust in state and local govt 3. Reasons: Vietnam, Watergate 4. Mistrust seems to be specific to certain leaders, not to the system

Trust in the Federal Government, Source: University of Michigan, The National Election Studies (September 1999), table 5A. 1.

Processes by which citizens learn about politics

1. Origins of political attitudes A. Role of family 1. Party identification of family usually absorbed 2. Younger voters less partisan 3. Children less influenced on policy questions than party ID B. Religion 1. Religious tradition impacts political beliefs 2. Catholic families tend to be more liberal on economic issues 3. Protestant families more conservative 4. Jewish families more liberal on economic and social issues C. Gender Gap 1. Men have become increasingly more Republican since mid-1960s 2. Women have kept same rate of Democratic Party affiliation 3. Result today is that women vote Democratic more than men

The Party Identification of Men and Women: Source: Karen M. Kaufman and John R. Petrocik, “ The Changing Politics of American Men: Understanding the Sources of the Gender Gap,” American Journal of Political Science 43 (1999):

Origins of political attitudes, continued D. Education 1. College education has liberalizing effect 2. The more highly educated people are, the more likely they are to be liberal E. Cleavages 1. Social class less important in US than in Europe 2. Region: political views today less regionally distinct than in past 3. White southerners less attached to Democratic Party today than in past

Origins of political attitudes, continued F. Ideology 1. Coherent set of political beliefs about who ought to rule, the principles they should obey, and what policies they ought to pursue 2. Liberal vs. Conservative: A. Economic Policy: liberals favor more government involvement in economy; conservatives want less B. Civil Rights: liberals favor strong federal action to ensure civil rights; conservatives want less federal action C. Public and political conduct: liberals are more tolerant on personal behavior issues, conservatives less D. Most people consider themselves Moderate, which is somewhere in between liberal and conservative

The nature of public opinion A. What is public opinion? 1. Attitudes, perceptions, and viewpoints individuals hold about politics and government. Hard to know what it really is, because A. Public is ignorant (Monetary Control Bill) B. Public opinion is unstable C. Wording of polling questions affect outcome B. Characteristics of public opinion 1. Saliency: how important an issue is to a particular group—i.e., Social Security to senior citizens 2. Intensity: how strongly people feel about an issue—NRA members are much more strongly against gun control than the average person is in favor of it 3. Stability: how much does opinion on an issue change over time

The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life A. Voter turnout 1. US has lower voter turnout than Western European Democracies 2. But when you compare registered voter turnout, US is in middle of WED 3. Registration is not easy in US; it’s automatic in many WED 4. By measures of political participation other than voting, Americans participate more than Europeans B. Forms of participation 1. Voting is most common form; presidential elections have highest voter turnout 2. Other forms: campaigning, community activities

Sources of Voter Registration Application, Source: Federal Election Commission, Executive Summary--Report to Congress, June 1997.

The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise participate in political life, continued C. Causes of Participation 1. More likely to participate if: A. More educated B. Attend church C. Higher socio-economic status D. Whites participate more than blacks, but not if socio-economic status is factored out E. Men and women participate at almost same rate (women vote slightly more)

Voter Participation in Presidential Elections, Source: For : Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics for the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, part 2, 1071; : Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1992, 517.

Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections, by Age, Schooling, and Race, Source: Updated from Gary R. Orren, “The Linkage of Policy to Participation,” in Presidential Selection, ed. Alexander Heard and Michael Nelson (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1987). Data for 1996 are from Statistical Abstract of the United States 1998, 296, as supplied by Christopher Blunt.