Chapter 5: Public Opinion Reelected President Truman

Learning Objectives What is public opinion, & how do we measure it? What role did the framers of the Constitution think public opinion should play in making public policy? What is political socialization, & how does it work? What is political ideology, & how does it shapes the beliefs of elites & the mass public? How does US public opinion vary by age & other characteristics? People self-label as liberal, moderate, or conservative, but are there more refined ways of describing & classifying citizens’ political views?

Political Ideology Political ideology: a fairly consistent set of beliefs about what policies a government ought to pursue Self identification Typically a broad category – liberal, conservative, etc. Based on prediction of views Most Americans do not think about politics in an ideological manner

Ideology Typology: 9 Types

US Political Ideology Mainstream Liberal Populist Libertarian Equality Mainstream Liberal Populist Libertarian Conservative Freedom Order

Liberal Liberal on economic policy & social matters Want the government to reduce economic inequality, regulate the economy, increase taxes (on the wealthy), & solve economic causes of crime Average members: younger, college educated, Jewish or nonreligious

Conservative Conservative on economic policy & social matters Want to reduce government involvement in welfare & the economy (laissez faire), decrease taxes, & tighten criminal punishments Average members: older, higher income, white, Southern & Midwestern

Libertarian Conservative on economic policy & liberal on social matters Want a small, weak government with little control over economic policy & social matters Average members: younger, college educated, white, higher income, nonreligious, Western

Populist Liberal on economic policy & conservative on social matters Want the government to reduce economic inequality, regulate the economy, regulate personal conduct, & tighten criminal punishments Average members: older, lower education level, lower income, religious, Southern & Midwestern

Mainstream/Moderate Fall between conservative & liberal Can be swing voters Most Americans consider themselves “moderates”

Public Opinion & Democracy The framers created a government to achieve specific goals: “to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessing of Liberty.” – Preamble to the Constitution The framers did not try to create a government that would do from day to day “what the people want”

Public Opinion & Democracy Constitutional goals achieved through: Popular vote Representative government Federalism Separation of powers Bill of Rights Independent judiciary For the most part, the framers thought public opinion should play a limited & indirect role in policymaking Checks on public opinion

What Is Public Opinion? A collective evaluation of individual preferences on a given political issue, policy, institution, or individual How people think or feel about a particular issue Difficult to discern “Agents” of a person’s political socialization Family and demographics Religion Education Media

Political Socialization: Agent #1 Family & demographics Strong correlation between parents’ & child’s party affiliation Less correlation between parents’ & child’s policy views Gender gap Since 1980, women voting at higher rates Women more likely to vote Democratic – favor activist government, consider social welfare issues important Men more likely to vote Republican – have always been more conservative than women on social issues

Young Adults on Politics & Politicians, 2010

Opinion Gaps Between Young Adults & Seniors, 2012

Gender Gaps in Presidential Voting, 1992-2012

Political Socialization: Agent #2 Religion Typically: Catholics: more liberal on economic issues than white Protestants Evangelical Protestants: conservative on social issues Jewish: liberal on economic & social issues Religious tradition: those steeped in religious tradition tend to support conservative social & foreign policies Social status: the economically disadvantaged within a religion tend to support liberal government economic policies

Opinions by 4 Christian Groups on 4 Issues, 2009–2010

Religious Affiliation & Younger Millennials (18–25) Registered to Vote, 2012

Political Socialization: Agents #3 & #4 Education College students more liberal than the general population College students at prestigious schools most liberal Media

Cleavages in Public Opinion Cleavage: a spilt in public opinion based on a demographic factor Basic class differences in opinion often depend on the type of issue being discussed The way political opinions are formed helps explain the complexity of cleavages 3 major sources Social class – especially historically Race & ethnicity – especially historically Region Other sources: education, income, occupation

Latino Opinion, 2012

How Opinions Differ Elite opinion vs. mass opinion Elites do: raise & frame issues, state norms, define thinking on foreign affairs Elites do not: define problems that are rooted in personal experience