PUBLIC OPINION AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION How American democracy works depends largely on who participates and how.

Public Opinions & Ideologies Things we agree on? Children should go to school Criminals should be punished Things we don’t agree on? What should be taught? What are the appropriate punishments for criminals Policymakers try to answer these questions in a socially diverse society where views often shift What previsions does the Constitution provide to limit the policymakers ability to make rash, sudden changes, often based on those ever-shifting views?

Political Ideology A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the role of government Liberalism The central government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity Conservatism A limited government insures order, competitive markets, and personal opportunity

Common U.S. Ideological Language One-Dimensional Continuum Left ►►►►►►►►► Right ↕ ↕ Liberals ►►►►►►►►► Conservative

The One-Dimensional Problem? The role of government in terms of policy becomes inconsistent as we move between issue areas. For Example: Economic Issues v. Social Issues

Other Political Ideologies? libertarian populist progressive Where do Americans lie? 40-50% are moderate 30% consider themselves conservative 20% consider themselves liberal Remember, ideologies ≠political parties

Political Socialization The process in which individuals acquire the information, beliefs, attitudes and values that help them comprehend the workings of a political system and orient themselves within it.

Political Socialization and 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. We will discuss the following in the next 10 or so slides The Family The Mass Media School and Peers The Impact of Events Geographic region Social/economic groups Religion, Race/ethnicity, Income, Gender

The Role of Family Schooling While most children tend to adopt the political beliefs of their parents, they may adjust those beliefs to adapt to a changing world as they get older. Schooling The most powerful institutional influence on children, outside of the family, is education. Lower education levels- less political information BERMAN&MURPHY APPROACHING DEMOCRACY

Peers We all absorb the ideas, especially when we are young. Peer groups affect political attitudes on those few issues of interest to young people. Television The values conveyed by television become a part of our culture. BERMAN&MURPHY APPROACHING DEMOCRACY

Social Variables That Influence Opinion Formation Race and Ethnicity Race and ethnicity influence political attitudes and behaviors which are clearly evident. African Americans, for example, are generally more alienated from politics than whites. WHY? Hispanics tend to vote Democratic, with the exception of Cuban-Americans, who tend to be very conservative. WHY? As a general rule, ethnic groups become conservative as they rise in social status. WHY? BERMAN&MURPHY APPROACHING DEMOCRACY

Religion Religious differences produce serious political conflict in the United States. -Ex: Catholics and Jews- associate with the Democratic party Protestants are more conservative on economic matters than Catholics and Jews Jews tend to be more liberal on both economic and social issues Catholics tend to be more liberal on economic issues Generally speaking, the more religious one is, the more conservative one is likely to be. Location Some areas of the United States, such as the South, are very conservative.

A New Political Typology Gender Gender shapes our political views as well, with men and women taking very different views on many of the issues of our day. The gender gap reflects the difference in the political opinions of men and women. Women tend to be more Democratic; especially on social issues Gun Control Access to abortion War A New Political Typology In addition to fighting each other, both Democrats and Republicans now find their parties internally divided over such issues as national security, religion, and moral values. BERMAN&MURPHY APPROACHING DEMOCRACY

Political Topology Worksheet

American Political Culture Core Values There is broad support among Americans for such core values as: Individualism Equality of opportunity Free enterprise Rule of law Limited government Americans and Intolerance Some claim that tolerance of diverse beliefs and practices is another core American value. Public opinion data suggest that it may be intolerance that has become a core value.

Political Ideology Culture and Lifestyle It provides an overarching frame around which to organize our political beliefs and attitudes. The most common political ideologies among Americans are liberalism and conservativism. Culture and Lifestyle One’s culture and lifestyle will also influence one’s politics because such views emerge from specific life experiences.

Odds and Ends Political Beliefs

Social Cleavages Definition: Examples: Pre-defined groups, for or against a certain issue Examples: Socioeconomic status Household income Union Membership Religion Gender /Age

Linkage Institutions Linkage institutions: the political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. Political Parties Elections News & Entertainment Media Interest Groups

Political Efficacy The belief that my political participation matter You can make a difference

Mistrust of Government Growing (when did it start?) REMINDER: Political Efficacy- citizens capacity to understand and influence political events

Globalization of Politics U.S. trade deficits Pros Cons A trade deficit is an indication that the currency is desired. Every dollar that we send in exchange for goods will come back to us from foreigners in the form of investment Trade deficits only become a problem when foreign investors want to stop investing in a country Foreign inventors love to invest in U.S. real estate and our debt If imports are more in demand, jobs may go abroad When demands for a country’s exports falls, the value of our currency may fall* Similarly, a persistent trade deficit can often have adverse effects on the interest rates in that country. (for smaller countries) U.S. political culture influences and is influenced by other questions

Globalization of Politics U.S. political culture influences and is influenced by other questions Immigration laws