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Unit II Political Beliefs and
Behaviors
Us vs. Them
II. Political Beliefs & Behaviors
A) Beliefs that citizens hold about their
government and their leaders
1) Mistrust
2) Trends in presidential approval
3) Trends in approval of Congress
B) Process by which citizens learn about politics
1) Political Socialization
2) Selective Perception
II. Political Beliefs & Behaviors
- Demographic groups and voter behavior
- Identify major demographic groups and
describe their political behavior.
- Describe voter turnout
II. Political Beliefs and
Behaviors
C) The nature sources and consequences of
public opinion
- dealignment
D) The ways in which citizens vote and otherwise
participate in political life
1) Voting / statistics / obstacles to turnout
2) Other forms of political participation
E) Factors that make citizens differ from one
another in beliefs/behaviors
Unit II: Political Beliefs and
Behaviors (10-20%)
• Define political culture.
• Define/describe political socialization.
Identify the main agents of political
socialization.
• What is unique about American political
culture?
• Define/describe efficacy in the United
States.
Political Behavior (Unit II)
Ideology (Unit II)
• Conservatism
• Liberalism
• Libertarianism
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www.people-press.org/psr/fit-survey.htm
www.politicalcompass.org
http://self-gov.org/quiz.html
http://madrabbit.net/webrabbit/quizshow.html
http://speakout.com
Lesson Plan on http://www.youthleadership.net/index.jsp
Ideology Unit II
Trends in US Political Culture
(Unit II)
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Trust
Changes in trust, 60’s and post 9/11
Patriotism and “rally around the flag”
Support of President
Support of Congress
Support of Federal/State Governments
www.democracycorps.com
See Vital Statistics
(See FRQs)
Unit II Political Culture
Unit II Political Culture
Attitudes Towards Congress
(Unit II)
Public Opinion Polling
(Unit II)
• Methods
– Random sample
– Random digit dialing
– Focus Groups
– Importance of wording of question
• Accuracy
-margin of error
Political Behaviors (Unit II)
• Forms:
- protest
- grass roots activism, etc.
- joining an interest group or party
- voting – most common form –
See FRQs
Demographic Groups and Political
Beliefs/Behaviors
• “All the African Americans who voted for
Bush ended up on his Cabinet”
– - Jay Leno, After the 2000 Election Returns
Demographics & Political
Behaviors
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See “Vital Statistics in American Politics”
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Race – African American, Hispanic, Asian
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Gender
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Region – South, Mid West, West, North East
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Socioeconomic – high/low
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Age – (18-21)
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Religion – Catholic, Jewish, Protestant
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Urban/Rural
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Union
See FRQ
Voter Turnout
(See lesson plan and FRQs)
• What is an average turnout in a
Presidential election?
• In a “mid term” election?
• Off year?
• Primary? Closed primary?
• What types of voters vote in low turnout
elections?
Voter Turnout - Obstacles
• Voter Registration
• Absentee Ballots
• Single Day, Tuesday Voting
Demographic Groups
• Young (18-21)
• Low income
Reasons for decline in voter turnout
• Expansion of suffrage
• Apathy
What is the impact of low turnout?
See FRQ
Political Participation – Unit II
Characteristics of Public Opinion
• Saliency- The degree to which it is important to a
particular individual or group
Ex: Social Security
• Intensity- When intensity is of a group is high, that group
can wield personal influence far beyond their numbers
Ex: Gun Control
• Stability- Public opinion on issues change over time.
Some dimensions of public opinion remain stable.
Ex: Support of Democracy
Public Ideologies
• Conservative- Individuals should be responsible for their
own being and should not rely on government
assistance, tending to oppose government interference
in the private sector. They also oppose most
governmental regulations, preferring the market
determine cost and business practices.
• Liberal- Believe that the government should be used to
remedy the social and economic injustices of the
marketplace, and support government regulation of the
economy. They also support government efforts to
redress past social injustices through programs such as
affirmative action.
Public Ideologies (cont.)
• Moderate- They don’t constitute a coherent ideology.
They view themselves as pragmatists who apply
common sense rather than philosophical principles to
political problems.
Determining Factors in Ideological
and Political Behaviors
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Race/ Ethnicity
Religion
Gender
Income Level
Region