Public Opinion And Ideology

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conservative

Back 1

A political ideology that, although changing in meaning, adheres to the following principles and practices: on economic matters, it does not favor government efforts to ensure that everyone has a job; on civil rights, does not favor strong federal action to desegregate schools and increase hiring opportunities for minorities; and on political conduct, does not favor tolerance toward protest demonstrations, legalizing marijuana, or protecting the rights of the accused.

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elite

Back 2

People with a disproportionate amount of a valued resource.

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gender gap

Back 3

Differences between the political views of men and women.

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John Q. Public

Back 4

The average man or woman on the street, often portrayed by cartoonists as befuddled.

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liberal

Back 5

A political ideology that, although changing in meaning, adheres to the following principles and practices: on economic matters, it favors government efforts to ensure that everyone has a job; on civil rights, it favors strong federal action to desegregate schools and increase hiring opportunities for minorities; and on political conduct, it favors tolerance toward protest demonstrations, legalizing marijuana, and protecting the rights of the accused.

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libertarians

Back 6

And adherent of a political ideology that is conservative on economic matters and liberal on social ones. The ideology's goal is the creation of a small, weak government.

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Middle America

Back 7

A phrase coined by Joseph Kraft in a 1968 newspaper column to refer to Americans who have moved out of poverty but who are not yet affluent and who cherish the traditional middle-class values.

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new class

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People whose advantages stem not so much from their connections with business as from the growth of government.

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norm

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A standard of right and proper conduct. Elites tend to state the norms by which issues should be settled.

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partisanship

Back 10

Identification with a political party.

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political elite

Back 11

A person who possesses a disproportionate share of political power.

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political ideology

Back 12

A coherent and consistent set of beliefs about who ought to rule, what principles rulers ought to obey, and what policies rulers ought to pursue.

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poll

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A survey of public opinion.

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populists

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An adherent of a political ideology that is liberal on economic matters and conservative on social ones. It believes the government should reduce economic inequality but regulate personal conduct.

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pure conservatism

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A political ideology that is conservative on both economic and personal conduct.

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pure liberalism

Back 16

A political ideology that is liberal on both economic and personal conduct.

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random sample

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A sample selected in such a way that any member of the population being surveyed (e.g., all adults or voters) has an equal chance of being selected.

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religious tradition

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The values associated with the major religious denominations in America: Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish. In general, Catholic families are somewhat more liberal on economic issues than white Protestant ones, while Jewish families are much more liberal on both economic and social issues than families of either Christian religion.

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sampling error

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The difference between the results from two different samples of the same population. This difference in answers is not significant and its likely size can be computed mathematically. In general, the bigger the sample and the bigger the differences between the percentage of people giving one answer and the percentage giving another, the smaller the error.

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silent majority

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A term referring to people, whatever their economic status, who uphold traditional values, especially against the counterculture of the 1960's.