Unit 2 Test Flashcards
1
Q
What’s ideology
A
A coherent set of beliefs and values concerning public policy
2
Q
Conservatives tend to structure government in favor of the
A
“Haves”
3
Q
Liberals tend to structure government in favor of the
A
“Have nots”
4
Q
Group consciousness
A
Idea that some disadvantage groups participate at a higher rate than their socioeconomic factors generally predict because of a perceived benefit for their group
5
Q
Who has the strongest group consciousness?
A
African Americans
6
Q
Religiosity
A
Degree religion is impt to a person
7
Q
Most conservative demographic group in US
A
Evangelicals (Christian Fundamentalists)
8
Q
Fastest growing minority group in America based on rate of growth
A
Asian Americans
9
Q
Poll taken on Election Day as people leave polls
A
Exit poll
10
Q
Who pays for exit polls? Why?
A
Media
- predict election winners
- examine issues and voter turnout to explain elections
11
Q
Constitution calls for enumeration of the population (a census) every - years
A
10
12
Q
Faster growing age group in America
A
Over 65
13
Q
Most accurate poll
A
Random sample
14
Q
Least accurate poll
A
Straw poll
15
Q
Region of the country that seems to be gaining largest proportion of population
A
South west
16
Q
Accurate sample representation of nation for a poll
A
1000-1500
17
Q
Larger representation of a poll-accurate the poll tends to be
A
More
18
Q
Poll question “do you believe voting is an important duty?” Attempting to measure - efficacy
A
Internal efficacy
19
Q
US census is - requirement
Formal or informal
A
Formal
20
Q
Largest minority group in US today?
A
Hispanics
21
Q
Margin of error of - is usually accepted as standard of accuracy for a random sample poll
A
(+,-) 3
22
Q
A poll which you choose to take on a website is an example of
A
Straw poll
23
Q
Which demographic trend will impact reapportionment?
A
Growth of sunbelt
24
Q
Which agent of socialization has most impact on policy agenda
A
Media
25
Which agent of socialization has most impact on person's political values
Family
26
Which agent of socialization has most effect on installing values of civic duty and political tolerance
Schools
27
Exit polls can only take place
On election days
28
A push poll is
Not a poll at all
29
One of the most important constitutions of polling to democracy is
Linkage
30
What's political culture
A set of widely shared beliefs, values, and norms concerning the ways that political culture and economic life ought to be carried out in society
31
What are the American core values (7)
Liberty, equality, individualism (rugged individualism), democracy, rule of law, civic duty, political tolerance
32
What's rugged individualism?
Individuals are responsible for their own well-being and strength of our system lies in ability of individual to compete (born out of frontier heritage, conservative value)
Individual needs to be as self-sufficient as possible
33
What's weakest core value
Political tolerance
34
2nd weakest core value?
Civic duty
35
Americans have a higher degree of - than Europeans even though they are less likely to vote
Efficacy
36
Americans tend to participate more in the form of (3)
Political discussion
Community involvement
Petitions
37
Vast majority of Americans agree with (in abstract) all - values
1st amendment
38
Most Americans dislike some groups strongly enough to
Especially true of those on the -
Deny them some rights
Opposite end of the political spectrum (i.e. Ultra conservatives to radical liberals)
39
Political tolerance has - over recent decades
Grown
40
Free enterprise
Laissez faire
41
Americans tend to vote - rather than knowledge
Values
42
What are exceptions to decline in trust in govt institutions?
Military and Supreme Court
Military-increased
Supreme Court- remained the same
43
Must have - to have -
| Efficacy
Internal , external
44
Internal efficacy
Understand and take part in political affairs
45
External efficacy
Belief of individuals that govt will respond to his/her personal needs
46
Very little decline of - in 50 years
Internal efficacy
47
Political efficacy
Sense of citizens to underhand and influence political events
48
Political socialization
Lifelong process through which individual acquires political opinions and attitudes
49
2 rules of socialization
What is learned first is best
| What is learned first structures what is learned later
50
Most impt agent of socialization
Family
51
When does family socialization begin?
10-11 years old
52
More politically active parents-and -the political party
More politically active their children and the stronger the party loyalty
53
Other informal agent of socialization
Mass media
54
- displaces parents as chief source of info as children get older
Mass media
55
Trend: young adults - search out political news
Do not
56
Average news viewing age:
58
57
Mass media shapes - more than political attitudes
Shapes policy agenda
58
What does govt use schools for?
Promote core values (esp civic duty and political tolerance)
59
More educated a person: (2)
More likely to
Vote
Tolerate opposing views
60
Weak agent
Peer groups (friends, classmates, coworkers, neighbors) regularly associate
61
Historical events
Agent of socialization
| Like (Great Depression, WWII, etc) have generational effect, long lasting and profound effect
62
Public opinion
The distribution of the populations beliefs about politics and political issues (at a given moment in time)
Snapshot in time
63
Straw polls (8)
1. 1st type
2. Call in/website poll
3. For feedback only
4. Least accurate
5. Unscientific
6. Nationwide
7. Only callers are those that feel strongly about it
8. Ppl can vote more than once
64
Random sample (scientific polling) (8)
1. Scientific
2. Representative sample
3. Margin of error +-3
4. Usual sample : 1000-1500
5. Larger sample-greater accuracy
6. Base samples of demographic profile
7. Relatively accurate
8. George Gallup (1930s)
65
Methods for random sample (scientific polling)
Random digit dialing and door to door
66
Random digit dialing (7)
1. Low cost
2. Less accurate
3. Lower response rate (problem)
4. Most used today
5. Sample selected by phone prefix
6. Cell phones (problem)
7. 1/7- no phone (problem)
67
Door to door (3)
1. Higher cost
2. Most accurate
3. Won't admit lack of knowledge (problem)
68
The majority of economic groups (group consciousness) consistently call for
More govt spending
69
Group consciousness (many people are)
Conservative on social values
| Liberal on economic values
70
Largest growing ideological group (past and present)
Past: centrists/ moderates
Present: conservatives
71
Types of voters (4)
Ideologues, group benefit voters, nature of times voters, no issue content voters
72
Ideologues
Vote mainly based on ideology
73
Group benefit voters
Vote mainly based on who will benefit group
| Group consciousness
74
Nature of times voters (another name?)
Retrospective voters
Vote based on current situations, good and bad times
Mostly about economic
75
No issue content voters
Vote solely on candidate personalities
76
Most voters are -, least voters are-
Group benefit voters, ideologues
77
Least predictable type of voter
Nature of times, no issue content
78
No policy difference, - less likely to vote
Ideologues and group benefit
79
More educated- what rule of voter?
No issue content
80
What type of voter- unpredictable swing voter?
Nature of times and no issue content
81
Strict constructionism
Only what const allows, strictly
82
Democratization.
Open voting to more ppl
83
Methods of political participation
Conventional
What's increasing/ decreasing
Voting, running for office, contacting officials, campaign contribution, petitions
Voter turnout decreasing, everything else increasing
84
Methods of political participation
| Unconventional
Protests
- marches
- civil disobedience
- violent acts
- demonstrations
85
How has democratization been achieved (5)
1. Passage of state laws
2. Changes in party practices
3. Amendments
4. Federal laws (voters rights act 1965)
5. Federal court rulings
86
17th amendment
Progressive era, ppl choose senators
87
Initiative elections
Allow voters to write and approve state laws
88
Referendum elections
Allow voters to approve laws written by state legislatures, recall elections (ST laws)
89
Recall elections
Allow voters to remove state officials
90
Primary elections
(ST laws/ party practices) allow party voters to choose party nominees for offices
91
24 th amendment
Outlawed poll taxes
92
Voting rights act of 1965
Outlawed discriminating voter practices such as literacy tests, white primaries, etc
93
Pre clearance
Forced states with histories of voting discrimination (the south) to submit any changes to voting laws to the US Dept of Justice for approval
- recently determined to be unconstitutional
94
23 amendment
DC can vote
95
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
Reaction to 2000 Bush Gore fiasco
1. Forced states to use provisional ballots in presidential elections to be cast by those whose names may not appear on voter registration rolls (to be counted if found valid)
2. Outlawed state practices of removing names from voter registration lists for non-voting
3. Gave state grants for the purpose of
- improving registered voter data bases
- purchasing better election equipment
96
Demographics of voter turnout in order of importance (8)
1. Education
2. Religiosity
3. Age
4. Race/ethnicity
5. Gender (since 1980)
6. Martial status
7. Union affiliation
7. Region (higher voter turnout in north than south and sunbelt, esp northern Great Plains)
97
Cross cutting cleavages
Some demographic features control influence of other features
98
3 elements of voter decisions
1. Party identification
2. Candidate evaluation
3. Policy voting
99
Recall elections
Elections to remove an elected official
100
How many electoral votes
538 electoral
101
How many ppl in house
435
102
How many years are house and senators elected
House: 6
Sen: 2
103
What amendment changed electoral system
12
104
Only states that don't use winner-take-all system
Maine and Nebraska
105
If no candidate receives 270 votes, - determines winner
House of Representatives
106
How many electoral votes are needed?
270
