American Government

Front 1

Definition: Political Socialization

Back 1

The process by which people form political opinions by many factors

Front 2

What factors shape Political Socialization? (11)

Back 2

Family, School, Peer Groups, Media, Social Class (Income, Occupation, Education), Race & Religion, Place of Residence, History & Political events, Age, Gender, Leaders

Front 3

How does family shape Political Socialization? (2)

Back 3

1. Was the biggest influence until 1970s
2. Many children learn from their families political stances.

Front 4

How does school shape Political Socialization?

Back 4

1. Introduces individual to outside world

Front 5

When do people become the most politically aware and involved in education-life?

Back 5

In college

Front 6

How do Peer Groups help shape Political Socialization? (2)

Back 6

1. They reinforce our common values
2. We hangout with those we can relate to

Front 7

How does the Media help shape Political Socialization? (2)

Back 7

1. Now most powerful in influencing politics (not family anymore)
2. Because wide majority of Americans have televisions, we can get information about politics

Front 8

How does the Social Class (Income, Occupation, and Education) shape political socialization?

Back 8

Higher income, better paying jobs, more education tend to be more conservative and support Republican Party. Unskilled workers, or the opposite, tend to be more liberal and support Democratic Party.

Front 9

How does Race and Religion help shape political socialization? (4)

Back 9

Three Major Effects (Religion)
1. Liberal - Particularly on social issues
2. Conservative - Family issues
3. More conservative - Members of dominant societal religion

4. In racial issues, for example, African Americans tend to be more concerned about civil rights issues.

Front 10

How does Place of Residence (demographic traits) help shape political socialization? (2)

Back 10

1. We can't control demographic traits.
2. Urban environments tend to be more liberal and suburb environments tend to be more conservative

Front 11

How does History and Political events help shape political socialization?

Back 11

Political attitudes are often influenced by important events such as wars.
Example: During the Great Depression of the 1930s, more people needed gov't assistance so they were liberal.

Front 12

How does age help shape political socialization? (2)

Back 12

1. Younger - More liberal (also don't vote)
2. Older - More conservative (also votes regularly)

Front 13

How does gender help shape political socialization? (2)

Back 13

1. Women are more for social welfare policy because of single mothers
2. Men are more for Law and Order, but women are equally about that now

Front 14

How do leaders help shape political socialization? (2)

Back 14

1. Informal leaders are more powerful than formal leaders because we can actually talk to them
2. Formal - ex. vote for President

Front 15

Definition: Public Opinion

Back 15

The range of opinions expressed by citizens on any subject

Front 16

How is public opinion measured?

Back 16

Through scientific polling

Front 17

What are elections?

Back 17

Purest form of public opinion

Front 18

What are straw polls? (3)
1. Are they reliable?
2. What are they also known as?
3. Why do they suck?

Back 18

1. Not reliable
2. aka Slop
3. Self-selective opinions polls

Front 19

What is a national poll? (2)

Back 19

Two things needed for reliable poll:
1. 1500-2000 respondents
2. MOE+- 4%

Front 20

1. What is random sampling? (2)
2. What is a random sample?

Back 20

1. Each case/individual has an equal opportunity to be selected for analysis
2. The method used for a representative sample

(1). A mini replicate of the original proportion

Front 21

What is survey research?

Back 21

Once a random sample has been chosen, questions are asked.

Front 22

What steps are in survey research? (5) IPSCA

Back 22

1. Instrumentation: Putting together survey (wording, etc,.)
2. Pretesting: Creating a bunch of subsets of the subject to make sure people understand the questions
3. Surveying: Now going to conduct the survey
4. Coding: Take info and assign numerical values to the survey
5. Analyzing: Computer spits out info

Front 23

1.What are telephone polls?
2. Why are robo-calls ineffective?
3. what are push polls?

Back 23

1. Polls conducted through telephones
2. Takes away biased
3. Political telemarketing to push people to like their candidate

Front 24

What are exit polls?

Back 24

A form of public opinion polling in which sample voters are interviewed in front of polling places on election day to determine how they actually voted.

Front 25

Reliability
1. Whats dial-in?
2. What's door-to-door surveys?

Back 25

Both most common:
1.Very unreliable
2. Expensive, unreliable

Front 26

1. What do polls reflect?
2. What do polls reduce the ability of?
3. What do polls result in?

Back 26

1. Attitudes
2. Setting agenda
3. Poor public policy

Front 27

1. What is suffrage?
2. What amendments have extended suffrage to most American citizens? (4)

Back 27

1. The right to vote
2. a) 15th: Black men voting rights
b) 19th: Womens voting rights
c) 23rd: DC people can vote
d) 26th: ages 18 can vote

Front 28

6 Theories why voters participate less

Back 28

1. Structural: Modern gov't too complex
2. Cost/Benefit: Nonvoting rational if cost exceeds the benefit of each vote
3. Socio/Political: Socio/Political factors that effect voter turnout
4. Contentment/Proxy representation: nonvoting reflects contentment w/ the stability of the system
5. Basic similarities of 2 major parties: relative to other countries the United States major political parties are more similar than different
6. Apathy/alienation: lack of interest, energy, decline in civic participation and personal contact

Front 29

1. How does the electoral college work?
2. Need for reform?
3. Problems with Electoral College?

Back 29

1. A) we vote B) our delegates then vote at the state capitol C) Jan 10 Congress certifies EC ballots D) 270 votes = simple majority E) Jan 20 inauguration

2. People want reform because of popular vote issues sometimes but if they were to happen then small states will stand to lose if any reforms take place.

3. 1.Possible for a candidate to lose the popular vote yet still become president by winning EC votes. 2. When no candidate receives a majority of the EC vote, the job of choosing a president falls to Congress which can result in a President that had lesser votes.

Front 30

Theories that explain the decrease in party identification (2)

Back 30

1. Realignment theory: asserts that voters are shifting their loyalties from one party to another and that previous party coalitions will give ride to new alignments
2. Disintegration theory: argues that political parties have lost many of their traditional functions and in the future will play only a minimal political role

Front 31

Interest Groups
1. Definition
2. Why are they important?
3. How are they linkage? (3)
4. What does more regulation mean?

Back 31

1. Formal organization of people who share common interests and try to influence gov't policy by shaping public opinion
2. They're important for public policy because they make gov't work
3. Access for participation, increase representation, increase public's awareness
4. More interest groups

Front 32

What are the types of interest groups?

Back 32

1. Economic IGs: Business + business organizations. Protect economic interests of whatever they're representing. Powerful
2. Noneconomic IGs: Some have religious basis for example
3. Single Issue Groups: Rarely compromise. Focus on one issue.
4. Labor Unions: # member decreasing. . CA: most powerful
5. Foreign gov'ts: represent countries
6. Professional associations: must meet standards.

Front 33

What are lobbying strategies to influence legislation?

Back 33

1. Direct/Inside
-Legislative: A) Private Meetings B) Testifying in committees C) Submitting proposals for legislation D) rating system
-Executive: Lobbyists don't go here. Lobbyists will track the bill to w/e agency it goes to after discussing and signing
-Judicial: President nominates fed. judges and lobbyists will submit names of suggestions aka amicus briefs/curiae

Indirect/Outside "grass roots"
-Mass mailing: generally target wobblers/fence sitters
-Shotgun mass mailing: Goes to many - very effective
-Rifle mass mailing: goes to few -very effective
-Coalition: more voices, more response
-Media: more awareness

Front 34

What are Political Action Committees (PACs)?

Back 34

They are what's formed if interest groups want to play politics because corporations and labor unions are excluded from making direct contributions to political campaigns.
1. They raise money for political candidates and they also provide support to campaigns by assisting in voter registration, operating telephone banks on Election Day, distributing campaigns literature, and canvassing potential voters

Front 35

1. What is the Iron Triangle?
2. What's included in the iron triangle?

Back 35

1. They describe the policy-making relationship
2. Bottom left: Congressional committees, subcommittees and staff
Top: bureaucratic agency
Bottom right: interest groups, lobbyists, large corporations

Front 36

What are 3 ways the media conveys political content?

Back 36

1. Reporter: Media reports the news as it happens
2. Agenda-Setter: Media identifies the current public issues that warrant gov't action.
3. Investigator: Media keeps tabs on gov't officials since public can't.

Muckrackers and Yellow journalism

Front 37

New Media
1. What are the types?
2. How do they contribute to politics?

Back 37

1. Cable Television, Internet
2. Cable: To increase exposure to voting public. Internet: Raise funds