American Political Ideologies and Beliefs PDF
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Uploaded by CoolestMimosa4515
Marjorie Williams Academy
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This document explores American political ideologies and beliefs, examining diverse perspectives on government, political socialization, and the influence of culture, family, and religion on political attitudes. It also analyzes trends like the gender gap and the role of race and ethnicity in shaping political opinions.
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American Political Ideologies and Beliefs American Attitudes about Government & Politics - Different interpretations of core values affect the relationship between citizens and the federal government and that the citizens have with each each other...
American Political Ideologies and Beliefs American Attitudes about Government & Politics - Different interpretations of core values affect the relationship between citizens and the federal government and that the citizens have with each each other - Citizens have different views on individualism, equality of opportunity, free enterprise, and rule of law - These individual attitudes lead citizens to support a variety of political parties, follow different ideologies and prefer a myriad of policy issues. Political Socialization (ap def) - Refers to the process by which indivodia;s develop political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors. - Family,school, peers, media, and social environments contribute to the development of an individuals’ political attitudes and values through the process of political socialization. US Political Culture - Political Culture is defined by its democratic ideals, principles, and core values. As a result of globalizations, US political culture has both influenced and has been influenced by the values of other countries. - A person’s ideology is shaped by their culture, age, and experience. Citizens continue to evolve through different life stages. - Major political events can influence individual political attitudes, influencing their political ideology. Role of the Family - Party identification of family is usually absorbed, although the child becomes more independent- thinking overtime. - 60% of children still follow parents- declining from previous years - Younger voters tend to be non partisan; they register independent… more democrat than republican. - Clear political ideologies are only passed on in a few families. VERY RARELY IN AMERICA NOW YOU ARE NOT AS SEVERE WITH YOUR IDEOLOGY, The Gender Gap - The gender gap refers to the differences in political opinion between men & women. - They have different views on what they deem as important - This did not exist when women 1st voted due to the fact that they followed their husband’s ideology/ voting patterns. Gender Gap Trends - Men have become increasingly more Republican since the 1960s - Women have continued to support the Democratic party at a greater rate - These trends exist due to the attitudinal differences between men & women about the size of the government, gun control, and social programs. - Gender gap is NOT unique to the United States. Race and Ethnicity - lack and Hispanics tend to be more liberalthan other Americans and support more B liberal social programs - African Americans are the most consistent voting block- overwhelmingly Democrat - Cubans tend to be Republicans - Hispanics are the largest untapped voting block sometimes referred to as a sleeping giant. Religion -Jews are generally more liberal -Catholics also lean left but many are conservative on social issues -Southern white protestants (STRONGEST FOR REPUBLICANS)who attend church regularly are among the most conservative block of voters. Region - Most states do have a consistent track record of voting for the same party every election cycle - The south(specifically white southerners) have been the group that has changed the most dramatically in the last century - West/ East Coasts- liberals - South/ Midwest- conservative - WHAT IS PUBLIC OPINION? - Collective view of the group of people on various issues - Public opinion data that can affect elections and policy debates is infleucned by different types of scientific polls such as: 1) Opinion polls–measuring opinion on various issues 2) Benchmark polls- creates baseline view of a candidate(adjust based on policties ex: immigration w kamala) 3) Tracking polls-how views of candidate changes duringa campaign 4) Exit polls-tracks why people voted the way they did.(voted for trump bc immigration important, why you vote for candidate on issues) What makes a good poll? - Public opinion can affect elections and policy debates. Polls are more accurate when they include a random sample of participants, large sample size, front loaded questions, and a margin of error. - Specific and unbiased wording of questions is also required to increase the accuracy of a poll. - Accurate reporting that can be supported by data increases the credibility of the poll. IMPORTANT : Random samples are imperative to a good poll. Small margin of error means it is a good accurate poll Large margin of error is NOT GOOD Characteristics of Public Opinion - Many things influence the outcome and veracity of a poll. - )Saliency- how relevant is the issue to the participant. (passionate person about issues 1 ex: suicide and you forget that you speak to a younger crowd such as middle schoolers. - 2)Intensity- how passionate is the respondent (timechange) - 3)Stability- how the issue can change overtime. Examplesinclude: support for a war overtime or the fluctuation of presidential approval ratings. Ideologies of Political Parties - The democratic party platforms generally align more closely to liberal ideological positions and theRepublican party platform generally align more closely to the conservative ideological positions. Ideology and Policy Making - Because the US is a democracy with a diverse society, public policies generated at any given time reflect the attitudes and beliefs of citizens who choose to participate in politics at that time. - The balancing of individual liberty and government efforts promote stability and order has been reflected in policy debates and their outcomes over time. Ideology and Economic Policy - Liberal ideologies favor more government regulation of the marketplace. - Conservative ideologies favor fewer regulations - Libertarians favor little or no regulation of the marketplace beyond the protection of property rights and voluntary trade. Fiscal Policy - Fiscal Policy is essentially the government raising money through taxes and then deciding how to spend that money - Fiscal Policy consists of actions taken by congress and the president to influence conditions and includes Keynesian and supply - side positions. Keynesian Economics - Keynesian economics addresses fiscal policy that is part of economic policy that is concerned with government spending and taxation. - He believed that if demand is too low, the government should stimulate the economy by lowering taxes or increasing government spending and if demand is too high the government should raise taxes and spend less. Supply - Side Theory - Conservatives believe the government should leave as much money as possible in the hands of the citizens and let the laws of supply and demand govern the market. - TheLaissez- Faireapproach means taxing less andleaving money in the citizen’s pockets. - People who have the money will spend it and the spending will increase purchasing, jobs, and manufacturing according to this theory. Budget Medicare - old people Medicaid- poor people Mandatory Spending- Entitlement programs and the interest on the national debt. ntitlement programs: Any government program that gives benefits to citizens that qualify based E on criteria set by the government. - Entitlement programs include social security, medicare, Medicaid food stamps, etc. - LARGEST ENTITLEMENT IS SOCIAL SECURITY. Social Security - A program that was created by asking employed citizens to pay a small contribution via payroll tax into an assistance fund designed to assist the unemployed and to help financially strapped retirees. - All those who paid into the system will collect retirement benefits via checks starting at age 65. - Medicare helps ease the costs of those over 65. - Medicaid provides health insurance to the POOREST americans. Monetary Policy - Monetary Policy consists of actions taken by the Federal Reserve Board to influence interest rates which affect broader economic conditions. - Thefed is an independent agency(C ONTROLS INTERESTRATES) which seeks to achieve maximum employment and price stability - The FED has 7 governors appointed by the president and approved by the Senate serving 14- year staggered terms. - Fed also controls MONEY SUPPLY/ INTEREST RATES Ideology and Social Policy - Liberals generally favor more national government involvement to address some social issues such as education and public health with LESS responsibility left to state governments. - Conservatives generally favor less national government involvement to address social issues such as education and public health with MORE responsibility left to state governments. - Libertarians favor little national or state government involvement in social issues except the governments (s) are protecting property of individual liberty. Mixing Liberals & Conservatives - Pure Liberals- liberal on economic and social issues - Pure Conservative- conservative on economic and social issues - Libertarians- Conservative on economic issues, liberal social issues - Populists - Liberal on economic issues, conservative social issues. Political Elite (knows more about government than average person) - Those who have disproportionate amount of valued resource (better information) - Political elites exist in all societies. - Elities display greater ideological consistency & tend to be more active. Types of Policy Making - Majoritarian Policy Making- Policies meant to representthe people 's views through elected representatives but does not happen in America Anymore. - Problem: we dont pay attention Interest group Policymaking (pluralism) (government by few of the people)- The interest of the diverse population of the US ethnically and ideologically to create public policy that addresses as many group concerns as compromise allows. Decision Making Process: - public policy officials follow a routine - Legislators and bureaucrats develop and reshape an AGENDA-a list of potential policy ideas, bills, or plans to improve society, - Each policy has a cost benefit analysis- a deep look into the cost of the new policy compared to the benefits that it would bring. Agenda setting - Once a problem has been defined it must be brought to the attention of public officials and placed on the agenda. - Agenda setters include: the president, interest groups, and political crises. - The president uses the State of the Union his budget and key speeches to push his agenda. Taxation - 16th amendment: allows congress to tax people’s incomes - IRS (internal revenue service) was created to oversee the collection process - We have a progressive tax system in the U.S meaning as one’s income increases then one’s tax rate increases - Flat Tax- taxes all citizens at the same rate. Sales tax is a flat tax. est- T Conservationists care about order, freedom, equality. Favor Laissez faire (hands off) Liberals care about equality, freedom, order. Favor more government control. Social security (entitlement program) Defense (discretionary programs) Democrats (liberals) - being involved in economic policy. Libertarians : liberal socially economically conservative combination of both.
