1. PUBLIC BELIEFS & BEHAVIORS
UNIT II
PUBLIC BELIEFS & BEHAVIORS

2. American Political Culture
Equality of Opportunity
Individual Freedom
Representative Democracy

3. Gender
The Gender Gap
Differences in political views and voting behavior of men and women
Men
Favor Republicans
Favor Conservatives
Women
Favor Democrats
Favor Liberals

4. Differences between Men and Women
Role of Government: Doing too much?
Yes: women (50%); men (66%)
Social Programs: Favor cuts?
Favor: women (47%) men (60%)
Should more be done to expand good, affordable child care, or should it be left to families and individuals?
Do more women (63%); men (41%)
Should fed government guarantee medical care?
Yes women (69%) men (58%)
Poverty and homelessness important:
One of most impt probs: wom(63%); men 44%
Should affirmative action be continued or abolished? Abolished wom 36%, men 52%
Do you think women have equal job opps
No women 69% men 59%

5. Race/Ethnicity
Affiliations are based on freedom-equality issues and socioeconomic conditions
White
Favor Republican
Black
Overwhelmingly favor Democrats
Hispanic
Except Cubans
Asian
Relatively Neutral

6. Equal Opportunity v Equal Results
Equality of Opportunity
A view that it is wrong to use race or sex either to discriminate against or give preferential treatment to minorities or women
Equality of Results
A view that government should do everything in its power to guarantee all a standard quality of life

7. Changing of America’s Race
White America is on the decline
What will this mean for politics in the United States?
Freedom
Equality
Rule of Law
Popular Sovereignty
Justice
“Minority-Majority” emerging

8. Progression of Race and Voting
15th Amendment (1870)
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
24th Amendment (1964)
Prohibits a poll tax as qualification to vote
Voting Rights Act (1965)
Prevents states from denying citizens the right to vote based on race
Helps enforce the 15th Amendment

9. Age and Voting 26th Amendment
The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age
What is the effect of this Amendment?

10. Partisanship
The tendency of a person to support a specific political party
People tend to have the same political identification as their parents
Republicans have the strongest party support
Their party members are more loyal
Why?

11. Ideology Conservative Liberal
In general a person who favors more limited and local government, less government regulation of markets, more social conformity to traditional norms and values, and tougher policies toward criminals
Liberal
In general a person that values individual liberties, larger role of government, oppose death penalty, and heavily supports equality.

12. Marketplace of Ideas 19th-20th centuries... single national language
expansion of literacy
universal compulsory education
communication & transportation
roads, rail lines, (automobiles…)
telegraph, telephone, radio, television
satellite-based networks
World Wide Web = internet
legal protection for free expression

13. The Political Spectrum

15. Urban v. Suburban v. Rural America
Population Density
The more people living in your area, the more democratic your area tends to be
Higher populated cities tend to benefit more from federal spending
More government services are needed in densely populated areas

16. Family Income The higher one’s income, the more likely they are to…
Register to vote
Vote
Vote Republican

17. Education The more education one has the more likely they will
Register to vote and vote
Vote Democrat
Until money is earned
Participate in various methods

18. Region Voting trends by region Northeast Midwest South West
Democrat
Midwest
Republican
South
West
Swing States
Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania

22. Religion Voter Tendencies by Religion Evangelicals Catholics
Republican
Catholics
Democrat
Protestants
Jews

23. Type of Election Presidential Election Midterm Election
People turn out at a higher rate
Presidency is seen as more important
Midterm Election
Election in between Presidential elections
Primary Election
Nominating election
Many states restrict participation
General Election
Decides who will win the seat

24. Public Opinion Public Opinion Polls
An aggregate of the individual views, attitudes, and beliefs about a particular topic, expressed by a significant proportion of a community
5 Core American Values
Freedom
Equality
Democracy
majoritarianism
Individual Responsibility
Public Opinion Polls
Conducted by news organizations, politicians, candidates, interest groups

25. Poll Legitimacy Who conducted/sponsored the poll?
Neutral polling organizations would produce the most accurate results
Political parties or other biased organizations would not
How many persons were interviewed?
Minimum 1,000 people
Reduces the margin of error
Who was interviewed?
Many people choose not to participate in polls; this can scew the results
How were the questions worded?
Pollsters must be careful how to ask the question
When was the poll conducted?
Temporary passions can also scew the results
How was the poll conducted?
Phone, Internet, On the street

26. Types of Polls Questioned right after voting
Exit Polls
Questioned right after voting
Indicates who people vote for
Census Tracks/Tracking Polls
Questioning specific groups within the population
Indicates the public’s tendencies across a specific period of time

27. Our questions… Who are we as a society? How we learn about politics?
More diverse, more spread out, and older!
How we learn about politics?
Family, the media, and school, just to start.
How do we measure what we believe as a society?
Through polls, which may or may not be accurate.
What do we believe as a society?
That we’re all over the place and that sometimes labels mean more than anything else.
How do we participate in politics?
From the inside or the outside: by trying to change the system or protesting the system to make a change.

28. Trust in Government

29. Elections in a Representative Democracy
Institutions of legitimacy
Safety valves for social discontent
Facilitate popular influence
Promote leadership accountability
Offer a measure of protection from the abuse of governmental power

30. US v. The World
Why does voter participation in the United States lag behind the rest of the democratic world?
Lack of homogeneity
Decreasing trust in government
Decrease in political efficacy
Decreasing roll of parties

31. Types of Political Activity

32. U.S. Voter Turnout

33. Influences on Voters Partisan loyalty Issue and policy concerns
stronger during 1940s-50s than today
family influence
reinforced by social & cultural ties
once formed, seldom change
more prominent in state & local races
Issue and policy concerns
larger impact if candidates articulate & publicize very different positions
Candidate characteristics
shared background, views, & perspectives
race, ethnicity, religion, gender, geography….

34. Electoral College System
Each state receives same # as membership in Congress (= 535)
subject to change every 10 years based on the reapportionment of seats in the House of Representatives
Washington D.C. receives 3
minimum any state could receive
Total electoral votes = 538
Candidate must receive at least 270 votes to become president
Political Parties choose people who will serve as electors

35. Electoral College System...continued...
November
General state elections
Voters formally elect electors
December
Electors meet in state capitals to cast vote for President & Vice President
First Week in January
Electoral votes counted by the President of the Senate before a joint session of Congress
January 20
Inauguration of the President

36. Modern Presidency: From FDR to Bill Clinton
Franklin Roosevelt - New Deal Coalition:
Unionized labor
labor legislation
Members of urban ethnic groups & Northern blacks
welfare & social service programs
Southerners
farm programs
Middle-class liberals
expansion of white-collar employment in the public sector; support for education and the arts
Important sectors of business community
free trade and the expansion of industrial production

37. FDR’s New Deal Coalition
Dominated government & politics until the 1960s
Shattered by conflicts over:
race relations
Vietnam War
fiscal & regulatory policies
Segments of the business community, social & religious conservatives, upper-middle-class suburbanites, Southern whites, & many Northern blue-collar workers have been drawn to the Republican Party

38. The Reconstituted Right - 1980s
Ronald Reagan
Middle-class suburbanites
trim social programs, cut taxes & bring down inflation
Social & religious conservatives
“pro-family,” anti-abortion, & school prayer
White Southerners
end to federal support for affirmative action
American business community
relaxation of regulations
Defense industry
greatly increased rates of military spending

39. End of Reagan-Bush Era Change in two key elements: Prosperity at home
Strength abroad
Mired in economic downturn
End of the Cold War Era diminished the threat of a nuclear holocaust

40. Return of the Democrats (?)
Move toward the center
Democratic Leadership Council (DLC)
Clinton / Gore
founding members of DLC
criticized welfare
stressed individual responsibility & private enterprise
kept away from black issues
economic message appealed to business & middle class without alienating working-class

41. Clinton / Gore in 1996
Supported “middle class bill of rights” - series of tax-cut initiatives
Tough anti-crime measures
Embraced voluntary school prayer
Spoke out against sex & violence on television
Dropped opposition to Republican welfare reform proposals
Advocated “family values”

42. Bush / Cheney 2004 Emphasis on Foreign Policy Tax cuts
War on Terrorism
War in Iraq
Tax cuts
Homeland Security
Support Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage

43. Electoral Realignments, 1800-2008
Jeffersonian Republican dominate
Democrats dominate
Balance between Republicans & Democrats
Republicans dominate
Democrats dominate
Realignment ?
Divided government
Divided government
2004 – Republicans dominate; not at all levels
2008- Democrats dominate; not all levels