Download Political Beliefs and Behaviors student notes I

Political Beliefs and Behaviors
Political Culture
• The characteristic and deep-seated beliefs of a
particular people.
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Liberty
Equality
Democracy
(Rugged) Individualism
Rule of Law
Nationalism
Capitalism
The “American Dream”
Civic Duty
Defining Public Opinion
What Is Public Opinion?
The distribution of individual preferences for or
evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or
institution within a specific population
Types of Public Opinion:
•Consensus
– Large proportion of the American public appears
to express the same view on an issue
•Divisive
– Public has widely different views, polarized
•Non-opinion
– Lack of an opinion on an issue or policy
– No information or not interested enough
Defining Public Opinion
Defining Public Opinion
Defining Public Opinion
How Public Opinion Is Formed:
Political Socialization
We form our attitudes through participation in groups
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Sources of Political Socialization
Family
Education
Peers and Peer Group
Media
http://pbskids.org/democracy/vote/
How Public Opinion Is Formed:
Political Socialization
• Family
– Most psychologists agree the family is the most powerful
socializing agent
– Learn attitudes
• Ex: political parties, other classes of types of people, particular
leaders (esp POTUS), society in general
Does the direct influence of parents create the
correspondence? Or does living in the same social
environment – neighborhood, church, socioeconomic
group – influence parents and children?
How Public Opinion Is Formed:
Political Socialization
• Education
– A purpose of school is preparing students
to be citizens and active participants in
governing their communities and the nation
• Introduced to national heroes, important
events, ideals of US society, Pledge of
Allegiance, student government
How Public Opinion Is Formed:
Political Socialization
• Peers and Peer Group
– May reinforce or challenge what has been
experienced in families
– Differing opinions on the effect of social
media
• More knowledgeable?
• More participation?
• More empathy?
How Public Opinion Is Formed:
Political Socialization
• Media
– Newspapers (school, local, national), Internet,
movies, radio, television
– Mass media – expose behavior and values of
others
• Greater influence on attitudes about issues and
individual politicians than on underlying values
– Selective exposure
• Individuals choose to access media with which they
agree or avoid media with which they disagree
How Public Opinion Is Formed:
Political Socialization
• Significant other influences
– Religion
– Workplace
Political View Stability
• Adults’ views tend to be stable
– Esp. if they remain in the same place, same
occupation, and in same income group
– Harsh experiences tend to be catalysts that changes
attitudes and opinions
• War, economic depression, terrorist attack
– Study shows that post-2001 increase in civic engagement has
continued for 18-25
– Attentive public
• Citizens who follow politics carefully
• 25%
http://www.gallup.com/poll/3400/longterm-gallup-poll-trends-portrait-american-publicopinion.aspx
Political View Stability