Age and Political Culture in America
Political culture is defined as a “set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments which give order and meaning to a political process and which provides the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system. It encompasses both the political ideals and the operating norms of polity” (Encyclopedia, 2016). Political culture has an affect on the behavioral patterns of a person because it characterizes a way in which a person acts. Both political culture and behavioral patterns are major influencers in terms of age and voting patterns of the individual. Depending on if the person is young or old, a person’s political outlook can be shaped based on when they were born. Age is one of the …show more content…
There are four generations that are noted when looking at the patterns in voting. The four generations are: The Silent Generation, born 1928-1945 (ages 66-83), The Baby Boomers, born 1946-1964 (ages 47-65), Generation X, born 1965-1980 (ages 31-46), and The Millennials, born 1981-1993 (ages 18-30). Older voters such as the silent generation and baby boomers are more conservative and believe less in the government while generation x and millennials lean left and feel that the government should play a greater role in society (NPR, 2011). Younger people, however, are much less likely to vote than older people. When they do vote, they tend to tilt more to the democrats but are wary of the social-welfare programs (DeSilver, 2014). Medicare and Social Security are facing looming crises in the United States because of the lower rates of young people voting. Due to this, the elderlies are unwilling to allow these programs to be changed because they are the ones receiving all the …show more content…
Chapter three talks about the state citizens and regimes. A citizen in the book is defined as “a member of a political community or state with certain rights and duties” (Orvis & Drogus, 2015). Each citizen has a set of civil rights that guarantees individual freedom as well as equal, just, and fair treatment by the state. People also have a set of political rights associated with active political participation such as voting and running for office. Every person in America over the age of 18 has the right to political freedoms. These citizens have obligations to their larger communities to be an active participant in their communities. People of different age groups have different interpretations of their obligations to their communities. Older generations feel a stronger connection to their political rights and civil rights compared to the younger generations. Liberal democracy is the reason that people get a choice to vote. In America, citizens have direct control over representative democracy and leaders can be removed. Voting is the backbone of liberal democracy in America and is important to the structure of the
Political culture is defined as a “set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments which give order and meaning to a political process and which provides the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system. It encompasses both the political ideals and the operating norms of polity” (Encyclopedia, 2016). Political culture has an affect on the behavioral patterns of a person because it characterizes a way in which a person acts. Both political culture and behavioral patterns are major influencers in terms of age and voting patterns of the individual. Depending on if the person is young or old, a person’s political outlook can be shaped based on when they were born. Age is one of the …show more content…
There are four generations that are noted when looking at the patterns in voting. The four generations are: The Silent Generation, born 1928-1945 (ages 66-83), The Baby Boomers, born 1946-1964 (ages 47-65), Generation X, born 1965-1980 (ages 31-46), and The Millennials, born 1981-1993 (ages 18-30). Older voters such as the silent generation and baby boomers are more conservative and believe less in the government while generation x and millennials lean left and feel that the government should play a greater role in society (NPR, 2011). Younger people, however, are much less likely to vote than older people. When they do vote, they tend to tilt more to the democrats but are wary of the social-welfare programs (DeSilver, 2014). Medicare and Social Security are facing looming crises in the United States because of the lower rates of young people voting. Due to this, the elderlies are unwilling to allow these programs to be changed because they are the ones receiving all the …show more content…
Chapter three talks about the state citizens and regimes. A citizen in the book is defined as “a member of a political community or state with certain rights and duties” (Orvis & Drogus, 2015). Each citizen has a set of civil rights that guarantees individual freedom as well as equal, just, and fair treatment by the state. People also have a set of political rights associated with active political participation such as voting and running for office. Every person in America over the age of 18 has the right to political freedoms. These citizens have obligations to their larger communities to be an active participant in their communities. People of different age groups have different interpretations of their obligations to their communities. Older generations feel a stronger connection to their political rights and civil rights compared to the younger generations. Liberal democracy is the reason that people get a choice to vote. In America, citizens have direct control over representative democracy and leaders can be removed. Voting is the backbone of liberal democracy in America and is important to the structure of the