AP US GOVERNMENT
& POLITICS
UNIT 2
POLITICAL BELIEFS/OPINIONS/BEHAVIORS
POWERPOINT #4:
Political Beliefs and Behaviors
Public Opinion vs. Political Ideology
• Public opinion: The distribution of the population’s
beliefs about politics and policy issues.
• Political ideology: One’s set of beliefs about politics
and public policies.
Public opinion = Many people, view on often one issue
Political ideology = One person, views on many issues
• In recent decades a majority of Americans have held the
view (public opinion) that the scope of government has
gotten too large.
• However, at the same time a plurality of Americans have
consistently called for more spending on things like education
& the military.
• Americans at the individual level
(political ideology) identify with a
variety of positions (i.e. liberal,
moderate, conservative, etc.)
– Liberals: Individuals who wish to see
more government involvement in
economic matters (i.e. health care)
and less in social issues (i.e. gay
marriage).
– Conservatives: Individuals who wish to
see less government involvement in
economic matters (i.e. business
regulations) and more with social issues
(i.e. school prayer).
– *Most Americans identify as moderates
which is a mixture of both liberal and
conservative views on issues
Liberals vs. Conservatives Views on
Various Issues
Where Do Our Political Opinions Come From?
Early Life
Political Socialization: Political socialization is a lifelong process by
which people form their ideas about politics and acquire
political values.
Parents: Parental Influence is the
Number One influence on political
opinions
Later Life
Educational Systems: Schooling
(Specifically Social Studies education)
helps develop political opinion
Media: Information regarding world
events shapes political opinion
Peer Groups: Friends and associates
influence political opinions
VOTING
• Although suffrage has been extended over time
in the U.S., not all adults vote. Why?
– Noncitizens
– Prisoners & convicted felons
– Apathy, lack of interest
• However, many people do vote! Why?
– Political efficacy (“I can influence the govt!”)
– Civic duty (“I should vote because we live in a democracy”)
Political Efficacy
Political Efficacy is citizens' trust and faith in government and their
own belief that they can understand and influence political affairs
• Have faith in their government
Citizens with HIGH
political efficacy
• Believe that they can influence their government
• More likely to be politically active. (Voting,
protesting, etc.)
• Have little faith in their government
Citizens with LOW
political efficacy
• Do not feel that they can influence their
government
• Less likely to be politically active. (Voting,
protesting, etc.)
MEASURING TRENDS
• They key tool to understanding American
demographics is the census – every 10 years the U.S.
government “counts” how many people are living in the U.S.
The census is also used to determine representation in the
House of Representatives.
What has the census revealed and what does
it mean for American politics?
• An increased number of immigrants – politicians
will need to consider the policy views of
immigrants; immigration policies are being
reconsidered by politicians.
• There is a melting pot ‐ politicians will need to
consider the policy views of immigrants;
minorities (especially Hispanic Americans) will have
more political clout.
• People are moving to the Sun Belt – The South &
Southwest will have more representation in
Congress and more influence in the Electoral
College.
• The “graying” of America – older Americans have
more political power; Social Security & Medicare
will be affected.
Why and how we measure public opinion?
• Measuring public opinion is important because the
U.S. is a democracy (what they people want matters),
Politicians want to know how the public views
issues in order to create appropriate policy & also
get votes.
• Measuring public opinion is done through polls /
opinion surveys by pollsters. Pollsters have increasingly
used phone calls (random‐digit dialing) as a means of collecting
data from a large group of people. Although calling is cheaper, in
person interviews often give more accurate results. Focus
groups (sit‐down interviews with a small group of people) often
reveal the best qualitative data. Exit polls are conducted right
after someone has voted.
Measuring Public Opinion: Polling
Straw Poll: An unofficial vote which is taken to discover
what people think about an idea or problem or how they
intend to vote in an election. Not accurate or dependable.
Scientific Poll: An official poll that contains a randomized set of representative
participants. Questions have neutral wording and order. The respondents
have some knowledge of the issues addressed and the pollster’s tone and
appearance do not influence responses. Sampling error is kept as low as
possible.
Push Poll: A purposefully inaccurate poll designed to get voters to
think in a certain way by offering suggestive wording of questions.
Exit Poll: A type of straw poll conducted outside of a voting
location. Pollsters ask voters who they chose. The sample
size is often too small to draw accurate conclusions.
• Problems with polling:
– Sampling errors (the sample might be too small or not reflect the
population) people may be dishonest, survey questions may
be biased or crafted wrong.
• The effect of polls:
– Bandwagon effect (people will change their political behavior in
order to match what is popular in the polls)
– Politicians and candidates will occasionally use poll data
to shape their agenda and campaigns.
– Political scientists find out more about public opinion.
• What do the polls reveal:
– People don’t follow politics very well.
– There is a growing distrust toward government.
Voter Turnout
• In order to vote one must be registered – Qualifications
for registration are set by state governments. (Registration helps
reduce fraud, but also lowers turnout. The Motor Voter Act helped increased registration by
allowing people to register to vote when they get their driver’s license).
• Generally speaking people are also more likely to vote if
the election is seen as important.
– For example turnout in. . .
• Presidential primaries & midterms – 25% on average
• Presidential general election – 50% on average
• 2012 Presidential election – 58%
Who Votes?
Age
• The older a person is, the more likely they are to vote
• The AARP is among the most powerful interest groups because of voter turnout
Level of Education
• The higher a person’s level of education, the more likely they are to vote
• More education = higher political efficacy
Race
• Minorities vote at lower rates than whites
• When Social Economic Status (SES) is removed, African-Americans vote at a
higher rate than whites
History of Voting
• A person who has voted before is more likely to vote than one who hasn’t
• Whenever a new group is given suffrage, that group turns out in extremely low
numbers
Important Trends in Political Participation and Voting
Presidential
Elections
Highest Voter Turnout
Off year elections have
much fewer voters
Women
Surpass
Men
Women now vote in
greater numbers than
men
After 19th Amendment,
female voters were few
New Voters
Don’t Vote
Whenever a new group
is given suffrage, that
group barely votes
Ex. 18 year olds,
women, African
Americans
Trending
Steadily
Downward
Voters have been
turning out in smaller
percentages since the
1960’s
The 2004 and 2008
Presidential elections
were an exception
while 2012 showed this
continued decrease
Reasons for Low Voter Turnout
Low Political Efficacy: Many Americans do not feel that voting will change their government.
Electoral College: The winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College discourages voting in states that are
not “swing states.”
Voter Fatigue: The large number of elections, primaries and public referendums has lowered public
excitement about the electoral process.
Weekday Elections: Elections are held on a Tuesday, which is inconvenient for many working Americans.
Voter Registration: Unlike many countries, the U.S. requires voters to register. Paperwork discourages voting.
National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter Act) sought to fix this.
Two Party System: The winner-take-all nature of single member districts means there are only two viable
political parties. This limits voter choice. Many voters do not see candidates that represent their views.
Political Scandals: Countless political scandals have reduced the public’s opinion of politicians.
Closed Primaries: Many states hold closed primaries. In closed primaries, you must be a registered member
of the party to vote.
Negative Campaigns: The proliferation of negative ads has reduced the public’s
opinion of politicians and elections.
How do people vote?
• People vote for the candidates whose policy views
they prefer. As a result, politicians often claim they have a
mandate to carryout those policies once elected. However, many
politicians will have murky / cloudy positions on controversial
issues in order to not turn off potential voters.
• Therefore the party identification (the political party a
person is registered with or is more aligned to agree with) has
historically been a major factor in determining how a
person will vote.
• In modern election cycles voters also used “candidate
evaluations” (the overall image of the candidate including
appearance and integrity).
• Some people choose who to vote for by asking
“What have you done for me lately?” in regards to
incumbents (retrospective voting).
• A rather new phenomena in voter behavior has been
split ticket voting – where voters will vote for candidates
from different political parties on a ballot.
• Other factors that
indicate how and for
whom people vote:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Age
Family
Income
Education
Gender
Ethnic background
Religion
Geography (Ex. “Solid South)
Other forms of political participation
•
Political participation: all the activities used by
citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or
the policies they pursue. (Voting, Protest, Civil disobedience, Running
for office, Writing one’s senator to express their concern about . . .)
– Of the conventional (voting, running for office, etc.) and unconventional (protests)
forms of political participation, only voting is done by a majority of
Americans.
• Citizens of higher social economic status (education,
income, etc.) tend to participate more in politics than
other social groups.
– This includes voting, donating money to political campaigns, and
attending local political meetings.
– This supports the “elite theory” of American democracy.
Political Participation (Besides Voting)
Protests: People with high political efficacy are more likely to
use their right to petition.
Civil Disobedience: People with high political efficacy may
voice displeasure with the status quo by knowingly violating
unjust laws.
Mobilization: People with high political efficacy are more
likely to organize voters.
Campaigning: People with high political efficacy are more
likely to donate money and/or volunteer on campaigns.
Running for Office: People with high political efficacy may
seek change by running for political positions.
**** AS EFFORT INCREASES, THE LIKELIHOOD OF POLITICAL
PARTICIPATION DECREASES****