Political Beliefs and Behaviors

American political ideologyCh. 4,5, and 8

What’s your political belief?

• Survey given to 10-14 year olds• One day the President was driving his

car to a meeting. Because he was late, he was driving very fast. The police stopped the car. (Finish the story)

• Different countries answer differently– England – Queen would be released– France – President would be excused– US – President would get a ticket like

everyone else

Types of Participation2000 Election participation• 82% watched the campaign on television• 73% voted in the election• 34% tried to influence others how to vote• 10% put a sticker on their car• 9% gave money to help a campaign• 5% attended a political meeting• 3% worked for a party or candidate

• Is this true? 73% of people vote? – No

Who REALLY participates?

Different factors can tell us who votes1. Education – MOST IMPORTANT, more

education=more voting2. Religious involvement3. Race and Ethnicity – Whites higher than minorities

(might be economic based)4. Age – 18-24 is the lowest, and 45 and up is the

highest5. Gender – men traditionally voted more, now it is

more equal6. Two-party competition – more competitive elections

have higher turnout

Terms to Know

Demography – characteristics of diff. groups

Cross-cutting cleavages – individuals influenced by many factors across demographic groups

Reinforcing cleavages – Reinforce a division between groups (Civil Rights)

Socioeconomic status – Based on population, income, and education

Political Culture• Widely shared beliefs, values, and norms

about how citizens relate to government• Elements of:

1. Suffrage2. Social Capital3. Natural Rights4. Democratic Consensus5. Majority Rule6. Popular Sovereignty 7. Nationalism 8. Capitalism

Expanding Suffrage1. Lifting of property restrictions (1830) –

“universal manhood suffrage” gave voting rights to all white males

2. Suffrage for African-Americans (1863-1964)1. 1865 - 15th Amendment – Voting Rights to all2. 1954 - Brown v. Board – separate but equal is

illegal, killed Jim Crow laws3. 1964 24th Amendment – banned poll tax4. 1965 – Voting Rights Act of 1965 – federal law

prohibited (no literacy tests, fair elections etc.)3. Women’s Suffrage (1920) – 19th

Amendment gave women the right to vote4. 18-21 year-olds (1971) – 26th Amendment,

sparked by Vietnam

Political Socialization• Process that influences and develops

a person’s opinion• People in different social “groups”

tend to share certain opinions: group identification

Agents of Political Socialization

I. The FamilyII. Gender and AgeIII.Race/Ethnicity IV. SchoolV. Adult Socialization

I. marriage, divorce, unemployment, new jobs, or moves to new locations.

VI.Mass MediaVII.Religion/GroupsVIII.Social Class

Family• #1 influence of political attitude• Very strong correlation for Political

Party support

GenderExamples• More men support military• More women consider

sexual harassment a serious problem

• Since ’60s, women vote Democratic more than men, and vice versa• Gender Gap

• Women tend to make less money than men • Glass Ceiling

Age• Older Americans tend to vote more

than younger Americans• 18-29 Year Olds Vote Turnout

– 48% 2004– 52% 2008

EducationExample• Higher Education = more conservative

or• College education = liberal viewsConflicting results, not always a correlation

Social Class• “Blue collar” (Laborer) typically

Democrat• Men hold most blue collar jobs

• “White collar” (Businessmen) typically Republican

Relationship is becoming less clear

Race and EthnicityExamples• African Americans (39 M) 13%

– 90% Democrats• Hispanic Americans (46.9 M) 15%

– tend to affiliate with Democrats, but less likely than African Americans

• Asian Americans – less liberal than Hispanic Americans or African

Americans, but still consistently vote Democrat• Minorities tend to vote more Democratic• White, more divided, fluctuates by election• Native Americans = Lower incomes than

any other race in America

Religion (Groups)Example• Protestants are more conservative on

economic matters than Catholics or Jews• Jews (73%) tend to be more liberal on

economic and social issues than Catholics or Protestants

• Catholics tend to be more liberal on economic issues than they are on social issues (Catholics becoming more conservative)

• Fundamentalists: Last twenty years these Conservative Christians have made an impact on the Republican Party (GOP)

Other Groups• Interest groups• Labor unions• Professional organizations

Voting• Trend of low voter turnout• 1964 – 69.3%(Voting Age Population %)• 1980 – 41.3%• 1984 – 60.9%• 1988 – 40.5%• 1992 – 55.2%• 1996 – 49.1%• 2000 – 51.3%• 2004 – 55.3%• 2008 – 56.8%

Voter Turnout• Registered Voter vs. Eligible Voter• Voter Registration – Increase in

eligible voters has decreased turnout

• Presidential elections higher than midterm

• “Motor-Voter” (1993) – National Voter Registration Act – allowed people to register to vote while they get license

Other reasons for low turnout• Difficulty of Absentee Voting (have to vote in

person)• Increase in eligible voters has decreased turnout• Citizenship• Disfranchisement of certain groups (felons, the

mentally incompetent)• Residency• Limited opportunities to vote (midweek, limited

hours, single day)• Need to show identification (gov’t sanctioned ID

cards in some states)• Closed primaries• Process of obtaining absentee ballots

Characteristics of Non-Voters• Age: 18-29 year-olds (22%)• Ethnicity: Minorities (African

American/Hispanic) lower than white • Education: 28% of adults who are high

school graduates or have less education– 46% of all college graduates are regular voters

• Religion: People who attend religious services (39%) tend to be regular voters compared to non-church goers (31%)

• Socioeconomic Status: Upper class typically votes more than any other class.

Voter Choices

Based on 1. Party Identification2. Candidates 3. Issues

1. Prospective voting – what a candidate may do in the future about an issue

2. Retrospective – President’s past performance on issues

Voting• Virginia 11th in Turnout (2008)• The South lowest in voter turnout

– Mainly due to the fact that many African Americans are still unregistered

• Northerners vote more than Southerners

Other ways to participate besides voting

AdvantagesLitigation Numerical majority unnecessary; appeal to

principle/law as opposed to opinionProtest Bring public attention; sympathy; low cost;

immediate response; expression of alienation

Contacting (e.g., media, public officials) Direct access to leaders; magnify representation; specify policy area in expression

Campaign work/ voter registration Contact with potential officials; multiply individual interest; training ground

Campaign contributions Access; multiply force of individual preference

Running for political office/ holding political office

Direct influence on political decision-making; set policy agenda

Political discussion to persuade others toward action

Bring others attention to issues

Membership in an overtly political organization

Solidarity with others of like interests; magnifying effect (specific, obviously political or explained as political)

Public Opinion• The distribution of individual attitudes about

a particular issue, candidate, political institution, etc.

1. The Family1. Most influential

2. The Schools:1. Patriotism and customs

3. The Church1. Shapes morality

4. Molders of Public Opinion5. Mass Media

1. Educate the masses

Opinion Polls• Measures:

– How intense the people are in beliefs– Real wants and needs of the people– Whether opinions are constant or

changing– Polarization or consensus

• Most accurate when the sample that is polled has a diverse population (aka universe)

Good Polls Have…Representative sample – must mirror

population you want answer aboutRandom poll – give everyone an equal

possibility of being sampledWording – carefully worded to avoid

confusionPlanning – Must be properly planned Accurate AnalysisStraw poll – poor polling technique; unofficial

and hastily put together (Not a Good Poll)

Downsides to Polls• Margin of Error

– Range of % points in which the sample accurately reflects the population

• + or – 3% points• Anything over 3-5% runs the risk of invalid

conclusions• Polls are close but not 100%

– 1948 Election• Dewey vs. Truman

Gallup PollsGeorge Gallup Developed “Gallup Polls”• Started in 1932• 1st “pollster”• Since 1936, agency has picked one

general election result incorrect

Exit Polls• Polling after voting

Political Ideology• Coherent set of values and beliefs

about public policy• Changes over time for all people• Liberal and conservative mean

different things at different time periods

How ideological are Americans?

1. Ideologues – 12% of people connect their opinions to party lines

2. Group Benefits Voter – 42% of people connect their opinion to their “group”. (labor union, interest group, class, race)

3. Nature of the times voter – 24% of the people linked good or bad times to the party in control and vote the opposite (usually based on economics).

4. No Issue Content – 22% of the people could give no reason

Liberalism• Favors: Equal wealth,

regulation of business, more federal spending on social programs, Pro-choice, legislation for social justices for minorities

• Opposes: Increase in defense spending, prayer in schools, tax breaks for upper class

Conservatives• Pessimistic about human nature believing that gov’t should be small.• Gov’t should focus on keeping order.• Favors:

1. Military spending,2. free market economy, 3. prayer in school,4. tax breaks on wealthy

• Opposes: 1. Abortion2. affirmative action3. spending on social programs

• Wealthy tends to be conservative but this is changing

MVP Award

Libertarians • Individual liberty• Minimal government involvement • Free Market Economy• Neutrality Foreign Policy• Absence of regulation on matters of

morality, economy, and social life

“Neo-Cons”• Neo-Conservatives1. Low tax, pro-economic growth2. Ordered approach to domestic

issues– Traditional values – pro-life, against

gay marriage, support death penalty3. Expansive foreign policy

• Counter global terrorism – “war on terror”

• expensive

Socialism • Ownership of the economy by the

government or a collective.• Characteristics

– Economic and Social Equality– Gov’t ownership of land and production– Social Welfare– Classless Society

• China, Vietnam, and Cuba

Extremists vs. Centrists• Most Americans tend to be more

moderate or Centrists rather than Extremists 6%

Geographic Region

Example• East and West Coasts – more liberal• Mid-West – more conservative• Urban - liberal• South – 1870-1950s - Democrat “Solid

South” but today they are primarily social conservatives

• White Southerner always less liberal

Trust in the Government• Public trust of government has

declined significantly in the last forty years