Final Exam Flashcards
What is public opinion?
What you think on a issue regarding government and politics.
How is public opinion formed? What is political socialization? What factors contribute to an
individual’s political socialization?
Public opinion is formed based on our values and our beliefs from passed experiences. Political socialization is a study about how our political beliefs are formed. The factors are Place, Time, Events, Family Upbringing, Social Groups, education, General political climate.
What is an ideology? What are some key differences between contemporary conservatism and
contemporary liberalism?
Ideology is a view about what a government should and should not do. People who are liberal tend to agree with government intervention whilst people who are more conservative disagree with government intervention.
Which American political parties are associated with which ideologies? What are some general
trends in American political party affiliation?
Liberal are associated with Democrats, and conservatives are associated with Republicans.
How do political leaders, private groups and the media influence public opinion?
They can influence public opinion because they can bring attention to an issue and make it known
What is the relationship between political knowledge and political efficacy?
Poliical efficacy is the idea of if there vote matters or not.
How do we measure public opinion? What are some challenges to sampling for political polls?
What are some challenges in designing a political poll?
We measure public opinion by sampling. Small sample size may be inaccurate.
What is the difference between a political party and an interest group?
An interest group are a group of individuals who organize to influence the governments programs and Policies.
What do political parties do? What role do they play in politics?
They recruit and nominate candidates to run for office, Mobilize party members to vote, provide important information cues to voters, Organize power in Congress, Work to promote the causes and issues of the party.
Does the U.S. have a two-party or multi-party system? Why? Which is more common?
The U.S has a two party system. The most common is the multi-party system.
What ideologies and interests generally are associated with the contemporary Democratic and
Republican parties? Have the Democratic and Republican parties always existed?
No they have changed overtime.
What has caused increased polarization within political parties? What might explain the growth
in people identifying themselves as “independents”?
The two political parties are divided in many issues. The growth on people identifying themselves as independents is because of distrust in government disatisfaction with the 2 parties.
What is the role of third parties in American politics? How have they been influential? What are
some barriers to their influence?
There role is to take away votes from the other parties. They have been influential because the other two parties get more involved and create more change for the better. Some barriers to their influent are the fees that come with running for president.
What are interest groups? What is their purpose?
They are a group of individuals who organize to influence the government’s programs and policies. There purpose is to influence government policies
Interest groups have grown over time. Why?
This is due to the expansion of government, new politics of interest groups, and new technology.
What do interest groups do? How do they influence through lobbying, litigation, citizen
mobilization and elections?
They influence through lobbying which is sending information to elected officials, litigation is bringing lawsuits, and citizen mobilization are organize events.
What is lobbying?
Lobying is giving information to elected officials.
Why do interest groups have particularly strong influence in California?
Expansion in government.
How do interest groups influence direct democracy in California? When do economic interest
groups tend to be successful? When do citizen interest groups tend to be successful?
Interest groups influence direct democracy in California by apposing or advance in ballot initiatives. Economic groups tend to be successful for blocking initiatives. Citizen interest groups tend to be successful passage rates.
What is the most common form of political participation? Who has the right to vote? What
percent of voters tend to turn out in U.S. elections? Who typically votes?
The most common form of political participation is voting. Anybody. 60% tend to turnout for presidential elections. 40% tend on non-presidential election years.
How do the following factors influence whether an individual participates in politics: motivation;
capacity; networks of institutions; political environment; state voting laws?
Motivation influences them bases on interests and concerns, capacity influences with time and money. Networks of Recruitment Institutions play a role in fostering motivation. Political Environment is used in context and can attract voters for example competitive races. State Policies for example like voting laws not everybody from different states will be able to vote.
What is the controversy surrounding state voter ID laws?
The controversy surrounding state voter ID laws is that not many people with racial and ethnic minorities has a ID
What are the differences in voter registration and turnout by race/ethnicity?
Whites tend to votes more and black and Hispanic as well as asians tend to vote less.
What are the differences between 501c3, 501c4 and 527 non-profits?
The difference between 501c3 and 501c4 is that 501c3 cannot engage in political activities but some voter activities are permitted, while 510c4 may engage in political activities as long as it does not become its primary source. 510c3 cannot endorse candidates while 510c4 can. 510c3 is prohibited to spend money on campaigns while 510c4 can.
