***POLITICAL CULTUREWHAT IS IT?An overall set of values shared by society.

SOURCES OF AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURETHE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONAmericans are adversarial, distrust political authority and have a preoccupation with rights & liberties.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFAmericans fear the “dark-side” of human nature, thus a constitution is necessary to curb it.

INDIVIDUALISMDerived primarily from the American family where the individual has rights and interests that deserve to be addressed.

EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITYA belief that government should remove artificial obstacles to upward mobility so individuals can rise based upon their desire and qualifications.

DEMOGRAPHICSThree major shifts have taken place within the last thirty years which have influenced political culture in the U.S.:

Minority Majority: The ethic shift away from a non-Hispanic, white majority.

Regional: People are moving from northern to southern states which changes the influence of those states in the House and Electoral College.

Graying (Aging): The larger population of senior citizens has increased the political influence of southern states and put greater strain on Social Security.

***POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION-The manner by which a person develops their political orientation.

INFLUENTIAL FACTORS Family (Most influential factor)EducationMass MediaOccupationRacial, ethnic and religious backgroundAgeGender Political culture of your youth

Ideology is categorized by individual belief regarding how involved government should be in regulating social and economic behaviors.

***CLEAVAGES:*** The differences in opinions between two demographic groups, called “gaps.”

***GENDER GAP: The difference between male and female stances on political issues.

STATISTS

• Socialists , Communists, National Socialists, Globalists

• Favor state control of/union with key industries like healthcare.

• Economic, personal, and/or political freedoms are limited either directly or indirectly as a result of government policy.

• EX: Gun ownership, economic choice, drug laws etc.

LIBERALS

• Believe in using government power to bring about equal outcomes. (ECONOMIC LEFT)

• EX: Taxation of producers, economic regulation, Affirmative Action

• More tolerant of behaviors considered to be outside of social norms (Socially Progressive)

• EX: Same-Sex Marriage, Transgenderism

CONSERVATIVES

• Favor limiting state power in the economic sphere to produce opportunity.

• EX: Low taxes; Reduced government spending

• Favor using state power to protect standards of behavior and morality (Socially Orthodox).

• EX: Drug laws•President Ronald Reagan is widely

regarded as the most popular, and

conservative Republican president of the

last 50 years.

• LIBERTARIANS (Old “Liberal”)

• Favor minimal government involvement in the economy or personal behavior (It’s not the government’s job to feed you, house you or tell you that you can’t smoke that)

• Not afraid of death; death is afraid of me

• Mom and dad were conservative

• I grew up during the 80s

• I have a masters degree

• I am disorganized, but not slovenly

• I am impulsive and resilient

• Duty dictates my actions

• I don’t like ambiguity

• I love creativity

• I served in the military

• I am a protestant (Presbyterian)

RED STATE= A state that tends to have predominantly conservative population and thus votes for Republicans in national elections.

CHARACTERIZED BY:Rural PopulationsAgriculture or service-based economiesLower taxesLower-than-average income

REGION: Southern and Western states.

Red States vs. Blue States

Red States vs. Blue StatesBLUE STATE=A state that tends to have predominantly liberal population and thus votes for Democrats in national elections.

CHARACTERIZED BY:Large urban centersManufacturing or tech-based economiesHigher taxesHigh Minority PopulationsHigher-than-average income

REGION: East & West Coast, Mid-west.

PUBLIC OPINION

LIBERALCONSERVATIVE

LIBERALCONSERVATIVE

PUBLIC OPINION

WEALTHYPOOR

WEALTHYPOOR

PUBLIC OPINION

BLACKWHITEBLACKWHITE

PUBLIC OPINION

BLACKHISPANIC

BLACKHISPANIC

PUBLIC OPINION

BLACKASIANBLACKASIAN

PUBLIC OPINION

VIETNAMESEKOREAN

VIETNAMESEKOREAN

PUBLIC OPINION

CALIFORNIA LATINOSTEXAS LATINOS

CALIFORNIA LATINOSTEXAS LATINOS

PUBLIC OPINION

MEXICANCUBAN

MEXICANCUBAN

PUBLIC OPINION

WEALTHY PROTESTANTWEALTHY JEW

WEALTHY PROTESTANTWEALTHY JEW

PUBLIC OPINION

COLLEGE PROFESSORSMALL BUSINESS OWNER

COLLEGE PROFESSORSMALL BUSINESS OWNER

PUBLIC OPINION

ASSEMBLY LINE WORKERTRUCK DRIVER

ASSEMBLY LINE WORKERTRUCK DRIVER

PUBLIC OPINION

BLACK PETROLEUM ENGINEER

WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER

BLACK PETROLEUM ENGINEER

WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER

PUBLIC OPINION

WHITE JOURNALIST FROM MICHIGAN

WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER FROM

MISSISSIPPI

WHITE JOURNALIST FROM MICHIGAN

WHITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER FROM

MISSISSIPPI

PUBLIC OPINION

BLACK ARMY VETERANBLACK COMEDIAN

BLACK ARMY VETERANBLACK COMEDIAN

BLACK ARMY VETERANBLACK COMEDIAN

POLITICAL PARTICIPATIONPOLITICAL PARTICIPATION=The activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders.

VotingCanvassingPetitioningProtests

FACTORS AFFECTING PARTICIPATION• Income• Education• Age

PARADOX OF MASS POLITICSThe system continues to work despite the fact that the public knows relatively little about politics.

Political behavior will in turn be based upon• Knowledge of a particular issue (Issue Voters)• Noting which groups support/oppose an issue/proposal• Perception of how well/poorly the current incumbent is doing

Political Participation/Civic Engagement has been falling due to:• Lack of trust in government• Mass membership organizations• Changes in family structure• Suburban sprawl• Increasing diversity• Electronic entertainment

POLITICAL ELITESPOLITICAL ELITES=People actively involved in politics:

PoliticiansCampaign workersMediaSpecial Interest GroupsActivists

More ideologically pure due to higher information intake and peer groups.

POLITICAL ELITESIMPACT1. Elite “media-ites” raise and frame political issues.2. Set the “norms” for how an issue should be settled.

EX: Environmental issues; foreign affairs

QUESTION: Are politicians more polarized because the people are, or vice-versa?

PUBLIC OPINION***PUBLIC OPINION=How a significant number of people feel about key issues.

POLLSAccurate polls require a sample size of at least 1,000-1,500 people and should be as random as possible in order to ensure a broad spectrum of respondents.

USESPoliticians use polling to determine how to frame policies in order to ensure the broadest appeal.

Polls ARE NOT used to set policy

LIMITATIONS:Factions prevent public opinion from being accurately measured.Level of information possessed by respondentsThe type of issue determines the strength of the responsePolitical Socialization (Ideological and background traits impact responses).Wording of the questionsThe Bradley Effect