1. Political Beliefs and Behaviors

2. Political Culture
Distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out.

3. Americans believe in liberty, democracy, equality and civic duty.
Mistrust of Government – mostly of leaders rather than the system.
Political efficacy – a citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events.

4. Sources of American Political Culture
Participation in politics in permitted by the Constitution.
Absence of an established national religion.
Absence of class consciousness.

5. Political Ideology
A coherent and consistent set of beliefs about who ought to rule, what principles rulers ought to obey and what policies rulers ought to pursue.
Most citizens display little “ideology”, i.e. liberal, conservative, radical; except for activists.
Political elites display more ideological consistency.

6. Political Tolerance Concrete v. abstract
Unpopular groups are able to survive because people rarely act on beliefs and the court system is “sufficiently insulated” from public opinion.

7. Public Opinion
The public’s attitudes toward a given government policy vary over time.
Public opinion places boundaries on allowable types of public policy.
Citizens are willing to register opinions on matters outside their expertise.
Governments tend to react to public opinion.

8. Polling Public Opinion
Exit Polls
Sampling
Random Samples
Distribution
Sampling Errors
Accuracy and Questioning
Consensus v. Polarization

10. The Origins of Political Attitudes
Role of the family
Schooling & information
Ideology
Job (Income)
Race & ethnicity
Religious tradition
Gender
Region

11. Political Participation
Conventional Participation
1. Supportive Behaviors
2. Influencing Behaviors
low-initiative
high-initiative
Unconventional Participation – behavior that threatens or defies
Group Politics v. Movement Politics
Techniques of movements include marches, rallies, sit-ins, petitions, use of spokespersons, non-violent disruptions

12. Voting The Rise of the American Electorate
1789 – white, male property owners
1850 – nearly all white adult males
1870 – 15th amendment, all men over 21
1920 – 19th amendment, all men and women over 21
1971 – all men and women over 18

13. Group Factors inn Voting
Party
Class, Occupation, Income (Standard Socioeconomic Model)
Education
Religion
Gender
Race/Ethnicity
Age

14. Impact of Progressivism
Direct Primary
Recall
Referendum
Initiative

15. Voter Turnout, a final thought…
Americans vote less, but participate more than people in other countries in other forms of political behavior.
Younger voters are the least likely to vote.
Restrictive laws and the burden of individual registration contribute to low voter turnout.
Americans may be happy with the “system” and less likely to feel the need to vote.