Political CultureNational Anthem

American Democratic Values

Although America is very diverse, it is united under a common political culture.

A political culture is a common set of beliefs and attitudes about government and politics.

Agree or Disagree: I am very patriotic I am proud to be

American We should be

willing to fight for our country whether it is right or wrong

Basic Concepts of Democracy

Majority rule/minority rights• Minority rights must be guaranteed

Equality• Equality of every person before the law

Private property• Ownership of property is protected by law

Individual freedoms• Guarantees civil liberties

Compromise• Allows for all interests to best benefit society

Limited government• Government powers are restricted to the powers given to

them by the people

Political Socialization Process by which citizens acquire a

sense of political identity. Begins early in childhood and

continues throughout a person’s life Allows citizens to become aware of

politics, learn political facts, and form political opinions.

Influences on Political Socialization

Family (#1)• Strongest when both parents identify w/same party

Schools• Teach patriotism, governmental functions, &

encourage participation Group Affiliation

• Interest groups, labor unions, etc. Demographics

• Occupation, race, gender, age, religion, region of country

Mass Media Events

Political Efficacy

Definition: citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events

Political efficacy has two parts1. Internal efficacy

a) Confidence in one’s ability to understand and influence events

b) Currently, about the same as in 1950s2. External efficacy

a) Belief that system will respond to citizensb) Not shaped by particular eventsc) Declined steadily since the 1960sd) Americans seem to believe that government

is becoming too big to respond to individual preferences

Public Opinion Definition: A collection of shared attitudes

of many different people in matters relating to politics, public issues, and the making of public policy.

Shaped by people’s political culture and political socialization.• Can be analyzed according to:

Distribution (physical shape of responses when graphed)

Intensity (how strong the opinions are held) Stability (how much the opinion changes over time)

Measuring Public Opinion Modern polling began in the 1930’s when George

Gallup helped develop the use of a scientific polling process:• Sampling

those chosen to participate in a poll must be representative of the general population

• Preparing valid questions Directions should be clear & questions should be phrased not to

lead participants to answer a certain way• Controlling how the poll is taken

The respondent should have some knowledge of the issues addressed in the poll

• Analyzing and reporting results Be sure not to report non-accurate information

Ideology An ideology is a consistent set of beliefs. A political ideology is a set of beliefs

about public politics and public policy that creates the structure for looking at government and public policy.

Political ideologies can change over time. Differences in ideology generally occur in

the arena of political, economic, and social issues.

Ideology: The Political Spectrum

Radical- Liberal- Moderate- Conservative- Reactionary-

*Analyze chart on page 209 to summarize each “level” of the political spectrum*

Political Ideology Spectrum Radical

• Favors rapid, fundamental change in existing social, economic, or political order; may be willing to resort to extreme means

Liberal• Supports active government in promoting individual welfare and supporting civil

rights, and accepts political & social change w/in the existing political system Moderate

• Falls between liberal & conservative & which may include some of both; usually thought of as tolerant of others’ political opinions & not likely to hold extreme views on issues

Conservative• Promotes a limited governmental role in helping individuals economically,

supports traditional values and lifestyles, favors a more active role for government in promoting national security, and approaches change cautiously

Reactionary• Advocates a return to a previous state of affairs, often a social order or

government that existed earlier in history

Homework Create your own “Public Opinion Poll”

• Must follow George Gallup’s scientific polling process

• Must choose at least 20 people to poll• Once you have the results, create a graph

illustrating the results