1. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

2. Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action The American People How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information What Americans Value: Political Ideologies How Americans Participate in Politics Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Summary

3. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The American People The Immigrant Society United States is a nation of immigrants. Three waves of immigration into the United States are mainly (1) Northwestern Europeans prior to late 19 th Century, (2) Southern and eastern Europeans in late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, and (3) Hispanics and Asians in late 20 th century. LO 6.1 To Learning Objectives

4. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The American People The American Melting Pot The most valuable tool for understanding demographic changes in America is the census Melting pot is the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation. Minority majority is the emergence of a non- Caucasian majority. Political culture is an overall set of values widely shared within a society. LO 6.1 To Learning Objectives

5. LO 6.1 To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The American People Americans live in a multicultural and multilingual society that is becoming more diverse all the time. Minority groups have assimilated many basic American values, such as the principle of equality. Until recently, the largest minority group in the country has been the African-American population.

6. LO 6.1 To Learning Objectives Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The American People Asians has been driven by a new class of professional workers looking for greater opportunity. By far the worst off minority group is the one indigenous minority, known today as Native Americans. The 2000 Census reported that for the first time the Hispanic population outnumbered the African-American population. Unlike Hispanics, who have come to America to escape poverty, the recent influx

7. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The American People The Regional Shift Much of America’s population growth since World War II has been centered in the West and South. Reapportionment is the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census. LO 6.1 To Learning Objectives

8. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The American People The Graying of America Aging population – Implications for Social Security. Social Security is a pay as-you-go system, which means that today’s workers pay the benefits for today’s retirees. By 2040, there will be only about two workers per retiree. LO 6.1 To Learning Objectives

9. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Graying of America The fastest growing age group in America is composed of citizens over age 65: people are living longer as a result of medical advances, and the birth rate has dropped. The Social Security system is second only to national defense as America’s most costly public policy; the growing demands to care for the elderly will almost certainly become more acute in the decades ahead.

10. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization The Process of Political Socialization The Family – Parents give their children political attitudes. The Mass Media – TV gives people information about politics. School – Schools socialize the youth into political culture. LO 6.2 To Learning Objectives

11. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization Political Learning over a Lifetime Aging increases political participation and strength of party attachment. Political behavior is to some degree a learned behavior. LO 6.2 To Learning Objectives

12. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information How Polls Are Conducted Sample – People in survey to be representative of the whole. Random Sampling – People should get equal probability of being selected for the sample. Sampling Error – Confidence in public opinion poll findings. LO 6.3 To Learning Objectives

13. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information The Role of Polls in American Democracy Polls help politicians detect public preferences. Critics – Politicians think more about following than leading public; bandwagon effect distort elections; exit-day polls discourage voting; and wording of questions manipulate answers. LO 6.3 To Learning Objectives

14. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Role of Polls in American Democracy Supporters of polling believe it is a tool for democracy by which policymakers can keep in touch with changing opinions on issues. Critics of polling think it makes politicians more concerned with following than leading and may thus discourage bold leadership. Emphasis on poll results sometimes has drowned out the issues of recent presidential campaigns..

15. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The Role of Polls in American Democracy The election day exit poll is probably the most criticized type of poll. Perhaps the most pervasive criticism of polling is that pollsters can get pretty much the results they want by altering the wording of questions. Although the bias in such questions may be easy to detect, the ethical problem is that an organization may not report how the survey questions were worded

16. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information What Polls Reveal About Americans’ Political Information Polls reveal that the average American has a lower level of political knowledge than citizens of other countries at similar levels of development. Americans may know their basic beliefs but not how that affects policies of the government. Increased levels of education and the increased availability of information over the last four decades have scarcely raised public knowledge about politics. Public cynicism and mistrust of government undermines the ability of government to address pressing social problems. LO 6.3

17. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information The Decline of Trust in Government Since 1964, trust in government has declined. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, nearly three quarters of Americans said that they trusted the government in Washington to do the right thing always or mostly. First Vietnam and then Watergate shook the people’s confidence in the federal government Trust in government has gone up somewhat since 9/11/2001. LO 6.3 To Learning Objectives

18. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman What Americans Value: Political Ideologies Who Are the Liberals and Conservatives? Americans pick ideological label of conservative over liberal. In 2008, 36% were conservatives, 38% were moderates, and just 26% were liberals. Gender gap – Women more likely support Democratic candidates. This ideological difference between men and women has led to the gender gap, which refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. LO 6.4 To Learning Objectives

19. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman What Americans Value: Political Ideologies Do People Think in Ideological Terms? Ideologues (12%) – Yes they do. Group Benefits (42%) – Think of groups they like or dislike. Nature of the Times (24%) – If times are good or bad for them. No issue content (22%) – Vote for party or personality. LO 6.4 To Learning Objectives

20. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Americans Participate in Politics Conventional Participation Voting in elections. Working in campaigns or running for office. Contacting elected officials. Ringing doorbells for a petition. Running for office. LO 6.5 To Learning Objectives

21. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Americans Participate in Politics Protest as Participation Protest – Designed to achieve policy changes through dramatic and unconventional tactics. Civil disobedience – Reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences. Violence – Riots and fighting. LO 6.5 To Learning Objectives

22. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman How Americans Participate in Politics Class, Inequality, and Participation Class-biased activity – Citizens of higher socioeconomic status participating more than others. Minority groups like Hispanics and African Americans are below average in terms of political participation. The participation differences between these groups and the national average has been declining. When Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites of equal incomes and educations are compared, it is minorities who participate more in politics. LO 6.5 To Learning Objectives

23. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Public Attitudes Toward the Scope of Government The question of government power is a complex one, but it is one of the key controversies in American politics today. Public opinions on different aspects of the same issue do not always hold together well: while more people today think the government is too big rather than too small, a plurality has consistently called for spending on programs like education, healthcare, Wid to big cities, protecting the environment, and fighting crime. Many political scientists say that Americans are ideological conservatives but operational liberals. LO 6.6 To Learning Objectives

24. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Democracy, Public Opinion, and Political Action Americans select leaders in democratic elections. Polls reveal that Americans know little about candidates’ issues. People vote more for performance than policy. LO 6.6 To Learning Objectives

25. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.1 Summary The American People Immigration has accelerated in America in recent decades. The size of the minority population has increased greatly. By 2050, whites will represent less than 50% of the population. The population has also been aging and moving to Sunbelt states such as California, Texas, and Florida. To Learning Objectives

26. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following is the fastest- growing group in the United States? A.African Americans B.Asian Americans C.Hispanics D.Native Americans LO 6.1 To Learning Objectives

27. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following is the fastest- growing group in the United States? A.African Americans B.Asian Americans C.Hispanics D.Native Americans LO 6.1 To Learning Objectives

28. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.2 Summary How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization The principal actors in the socialization process are the family, the media, and schools. As people age, the firmness with which they hold political attitudes, such as party identification, tends to increase. To Learning Objectives

29. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The main source of political socialization WITHIN the context is government and civics classes. A.school B.family C.mass media D.all of the above LO 6.2 To Learning Objectives

30. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman The main source of political socialization WITHIN the context is government and civics classes. A.school B.family C.mass media D.all of the above LO 6.2 To Learning Objectives

31. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.3 Summary Measuring Public Opinion and Political Information Polls are conducted through the technique of random sampling. A random sample of 1,000 will yield results within plus or minus three percentage points of what would be found if everyone were interviewed. Polls detect public preferences and how informed we are about issues. To Learning Objectives

32. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following ensures that the opinions of several hundred million Americans can be inferred through polling? A.Random sampling. B.Sampling error. C.Population sampling that ensures a sample size of at least 1,000 to 1,500 people. D.All of the above. LO 6.3 To Learning Objectives

33. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman A.Random sampling. B.Sampling error. C.Population sampling that ensures a sample size of at least 1,000 to 1,500 people. D.All of the above. Which of the following ensures that the opinions of several hundred million Americans can be inferred through polling? LO 6.3 To Learning Objectives

34. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.4 Summary What Americans Value: Political Ideologies A political ideology is a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy. The two most prominent ideologies in American politics are conservatism and liberalism. These ideologies guide people’s thinking on policy issues. To Learning Objectives

35. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.4 Summary What Americans Value: Political Ideologies (cont.) 62% of Americans call themselves either conservatives or liberals. Americans are conservative (36%) in principle but liberal (26%) in practice; that is, they are against big government but favor more spending on a wide variety of programs. To Learning Objectives

36. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Americans are more likely to be. A.conservative than liberal B.liberal than conservative C.moderate than conservative D.moderate than liberal LO 6.4 To Learning Objectives

37. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Americans are more likely to be. A.conservative than liberal B.liberal than conservative C.moderate than conservative D.moderate than liberal LO 6.4 To Learning Objectives

38. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.5 Summary How Americans Participate in Politics Conventional participation includes voting, writing letters or e-mails to public officials, attending political meetings, signing petitions, and giving money to campaigns and political groups. To Learning Objectives

39. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.5 Summary How Americans Participate in Politics (cont.) Unconventional participation includes attending protest demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience. Citizens of higher social economic status participate more in American politics. To Learning Objectives

40. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following type of political participation is most common in the United States? A.Protesting a governmental policy. B.Litigating through the court system. C.Writing to a member of Congress. D.Voting in elections. LO 6.5 To Learning Objectives

41. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Which of the following type of political participation is most common in the United States? A.Protesting a governmental policy. B.Litigating through the court system. C.Writing to a member of Congress. D.Voting in elections. LO 6.5 To Learning Objectives

42. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman LO 6.6 Summary Understanding Public Opinion and Political Action Conservatives think the scope of government has become too wide in recent decades. Liberals believe the scope of government should be further increased and support the 2010 Health Insurance Reform Act. To Learning Objectives

43. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Public opinion polls reveal that Americans A.are ideological liberals but operational conservatives. B.oppose the idea of big government in principle but favor it in practice. C.favor the idea of big government in principle but oppose it in practice. D.are ideological moderates. LO 6.6 To Learning Objectives

44. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman Public opinion polls reveal that Americans A.are ideological liberals but operational conservatives. B.oppose the idea of big government in principle but favor it in practice. C.favor the idea of big government in principle but oppose it in practice. D.are ideological moderates. LO 6.6 To Learning Objectives