Set of widely held beliefs, values, and norms concerning how political and economic life are carried out

Defines relationship of people and government

De Tocqueville America is…

Abundant in fertile land Has countless opportunities to get land and make

living Independent spirit

Shared Enlightenment theory

Core Liberty – life liberty and pursuit of happiness Equality – “All men are created equal” Individualism – dignity of individuals Democracy – people rule; consent of governed Rule of law – law is supreme to all people Civic duty – sense of community and

responsibility

Changing Values Industrial revolution – inequality of wealth

Capitalism and Free Enterprise Different from equality of earlier times

Values since 1930s “Promote general welfare” is purpose of

government “Second Bill of Rights” – economic security

and independence (Civil Rights, Great Society, Health Care)

Americans must be tolerant of opinions and actions of others

Most Americans… Agree with free speech, religion, petition

1950s and 1960 high trust End of 1960s – today

Significant decline in trust Vietnam, Watergate

Political Efficacy – dropping recently Citizens understanding and influence political

events Internal Efficacy – understand and take part in political

affairs External Efficacy – belief government will respond to

needs and beliefs

Explosive issues – abortion, gay rights, drugs, school prayer, terrorism, US role in world affairs

Distribution of individual attitudes about a particular issue, candidate, or political institution.

Measuring Gallup – Polls Answer a political question

Measuring cont’ Representative Sample – representative of the

population Random sampling – each person has equal

probability of being selected – 1000-1500 polled Respondent knowledge – need some knowledge,

can’t answer “I don’t know” Careful and objective wording – no loaded questions Cost efficiency v. accuracy Variances between samples

Sampling errors – same poll conducted with different random samples will produce slightly different results

Political Socialization – lifelong process through which an individual acquires opinions through contact with others or media

Determines how we participate, vote, parties to support

Family – most important, especially for party identification

Gender – men = military, women = sexual harassment; since 1960s women vote democrat

Married v. Unmarried – singles = democrat, married = republican

Religion – Protestant = conservative, Jews = liberal, Catholics= liberal on economics, but not social

Education – In general higher education = conservative political views, yet college education = more liberal social and economic attitudes. Overall the more education the more liberal attitudes

Social Class – less clear

Race – Blacks = democrats (Civil Rights); Hispanics = Liberal, Democrat; Asians more conservative in thought but supported Kerry and Obama

Geographic Region – East and west Coasts are a bit more conservative, but major cities on each support liberal, Democrats

Age – under 30 =democrat

Political Ideology – coherent set of beliefs about political policy

Issue Liberal Conservative

Health care Available to all, national health system

Private ins companies

Crime Cure economic and social causes

Punishment

Business Regulation Government regulation

Free market

Military Spending Spend less Spend more

Taxes Tax rich, government should reduce economic inequality

Low taxes

Welfare State Govt helps poor Rugged individualism

Civil rights Pro civil rights Limited govt role

Abortion Pro choice Pro-life

Religion Separation of church and state

Faith based political initiatives

Same Sex marriage Legalize it Ban it, no civil unions

Offshore Drilling Prevent it; environmental costs

Prefer it

Some people may have a combination of both especially between economic and social issues

Neo-Con – Conservative movement after 9/11; counter global terrorism, affiliate as Republicans – Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld

# identifying as Democrats increased slightly But…Liberal 28% Conservative 38% Moderate 36%

People under 30 liberal 27%

People over 65 45%

Various activities citizens employ in their efforts to influence policy making and selecting leaders

In general, comparatively active in politics

Low voter turn out

Types of participation Follow presidential campaigns, voting in

presidential elections Who participates

Education – more education=more likely to vote Religious Involvement – increase of religious

involvement=higher political activity Race/Ethnicity – depends on education and

wealth Age – 45 and above vote!

Gender – since 1992, women exceeded men in voting

2 party competition – more competitive=higher turnouts

Expanding suffrage (in order) States decide qualifications of voters; white,

male, over 21, own property Lift Property restrictions – Universal

Manhood Suffrage (voting for all white males)

Suffrage for Black Men – 15th amendment Jim crow, Literacy tests, Poll taxes – Federal Voting

Rights Act 1965, 24th Amendment – no Poll taxes Women’s Suffrage – 19th Amendment 18+ can vote – 26 the Amendment

Registered voters # that actually vote in an election v.

eligible voters 75 to 80% of Registered voters vote But…. Only 50% of Eligible voters vote

Motor Voter Act (National Voter Registration Act) Register while applying for or renewing a

driver’s license Help America Vote Act- improve state

voting systems; in response to Florida election fiasco in 2000

Difficulty of absentee voting Number of offices to elect Weekday voting Weak political parties Impact of 2000 election

Help America Vote Act Election Assistance Commission

Provisional Voting Used when it is not clear if the voter is

registered Early Voting

Vote before election day in person or by mail Same day voter registration

Register and vote on same day On-line voting

Scanning, uploading submitting the ballot on computer