Unit 3: Ideology

Political Ideology Ideology refers to a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue Measuring Ideology Seeing how frequently people use broad categories to describe or justify their own views Seeing to what extent a citizen’s policy preferences are consistent over time Self identification does not yield much information Most Americans are not ideological (not consistent) Limitations of polling

Political Ideologies Liberalism 1.Willing to have government intervention in the economy 2.Advocate equal access to social services & protections 3.Support Affirmative Action & equality of opportunity 4.Prefer tax rates that rise with income

Political Ideologies Criticisms of Liberalism 1.Rely too much on government solutions 2.Rely too much on higher taxes 3.Rely too much on bureaucracy 4.Undermine individual initiative, entrepreneurial spirit, self reliance, self help ethics the U.S. was founded on

Political Ideologies Conservatism Traditional Conservatives 1.Emphatically pro-business 2.Against taxes 3.Oppose most trade, antitrust, and environmental regulations 4.Dispersed government power 5.Limited government services

Political Ideologies Social Conservatives (New Right) 1.Less focused on economics 2.More focused on morality and lifestyle 3.Favor strong government action in a. Protection of children from drugs & pornography b. Limiting abortions c. Defending freedom and American interests abroad

Political Ideologies Criticism of Conservatives 1.Don’t want big government unless it serves its needs or to counter social evils 2.Places too much faith on market economy 3.Tax cuts for the rich at the expense of bigger deficits for defense spending 4.Fail to endorse policies against racism and sexism

Placement on Issues LiberalModerateConservative “We should abolish the death penalty!” “Putting more restrictions on guns will make America safer!” In order to decrease our gas costs, we should look for oil in more places! “No American should be unable to see a Doctor even if they can’t afford it.” “Abortion is murder!” “None of these problems would happen if we’d just let prayer back in school.”

Beyond “Liberal” and “Conservative” Social IssuesEconomic Issues Pure Liberal Libertarians Populists Pure Conservative Liberal Conservative

What Americans Value: Political Ideologies Do People Think in Ideological Terms? Ideologues: think in ideological terms Group Benefits voters: view politics through party or group label Nature of the Times: view of politics based on whether times are good or bad No issue content: vote routinely for party or personality

Differences in Political Ideology Moderate Liberal Male Female 23% % 22 Conservative 39% 31 Sex Race White Black Asian Hispanic Undecided 18% SOURCE: Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan, 2008, American National Election Study Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior.

Differences in Political Ideology Moderate Liberal Conservative Age % % % Religion Protestant Undecided 23% SOURCE: Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan, 2008, American National Election Study Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior.

Differences in Political Ideology Moderate Liberal Conservative Religion Catholic Jewish Education 31% % Less than high school High school diploma Some college Undecided 23% SOURCE: Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan, 2008, American National Election Study Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior.

Demographic Breakdown of Ideologies LiberalDemographicConservative African-Americans, Latino- Americans (Not Cuban) Race/Ethnicity Asian Americans (Slightly), White-Americans FemaleGenderMale YoungerAgeOlder Higher Levels of EducationLevel of EducationLower Levels of Educaiton Jewish, Non-ReligiousReligionProtestant West Coast, Northeast, Urban Areas RegionSouth, Rural Areas

Impact of Ideology 1.Ideology has economic, social/lifestyle, environmental, civil rights/civil liberties, and foreign/defense policy dimensions. 2.In the United States, most people are moderates or report not knowing whether they are liberal or conservative. 3.The absence of widespread and solidified liberal and conservative positions in the United States makes for politics and policymaking processes that are markedly different from those in most nations.

Impact of Ideology 4.Policy making in this country is characterized more by ad hoc coalitions than by fixed alignments that pit one set of ideologies against another. 5.This does not mean that policies or ideas are not important in American politics. 6.Ideologies have consequences.