Preview

Chapter 10 Political Socialization

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
585 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Chapter 10 Political Socialization
Chapter 10: Political socialization and Public opinion

I) Short Answer Questions

1) Government officials pay close attention to public opinion polls and other measures of public opinion because of several reasons. First of all, public opinion polls represent an opportunity for government officials to view a snapshot of public opinion. Secondly, public opinion polls allow government officials to see the attitudes of individuals regarding political subjects. Even though Government officials pay close attention to public opinion poll, most politicians deny that they pay any attention to polls because they believe that public opinion polls do not reflect the real opinion of the public. …show more content…
“Socialism” is an attitude which values community needs over individual wants.

3) One factor that help explain the stability of popular belief structures is that in the USA, levels of distrust in our institutions of government and our constitutional system are relatively low. Another reason is because our political elites tend to be more educated, they are even more supportive of democratic ideals than typical individuals. The third reason is our society use political channels to promote change.

4) The impact of social groups on political value can be defined by the fact that these groups characterized by social class, education, religion, race and ethnicity, and gender, represent pressure groups involving a large number of people who can be manipulated, not by their individual political beliefs, but by the political beliefs of the majority in their different groups. Also, the political attitudes of Americans tend to differ by income, education, religion, race and ethnicity, and gender because people with similar backgrounds tend to develop similar political
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Obama's Club Summary
    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Obama's Club Summary

    The list is as follows: political socialization; power, authority, legitimacy, and capacity; public opinion; media; political elites; political parties; elections; campaigns; presidential powers; among others. Each of these themes is presented and further elaborated with specific examples within the book. The themes complement the information presented in class by adding more specificity and depth. For example, in class, we briefly discussed power, authority, legitimacy, and capacity. In much the same way, the book showed how the lines between these concepts are often blurred and misunderstood, leading to dissensions and hostilities between the public and the elite. However, the book often offered more nuanced theories and explanations for the development of these overarching motifs, through the use of detailed examples and…

    • 492 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Shared Attributes Between the Voter and the Candidate: a Look at the Us 2008 Democratic Primary Election
    • 3394 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Shared Attributes Between the Voter and the Candidate: a Look at the Us 2008 Democratic Primary Election

    The correlations between a candidate running for election and a voter who participates in the election, in terms of support and participation, often involve the use of shared attributes to explain how said correlations have an impact on the outcome of the election. In a representative democracy such as the United States, the belief is that those who vote in elections wield the power to select government officials, who then in turn create, uphold, or interpret the law of the land accordingly. Those who participate in elections, therefore, believe that the candidate they select will make decisions or introduce legislature according to the beliefs that those who voted share with one another. A voter or a group of voters are more likely to support a candidate if they share at least one attribute with one another. In order to understand how candidate selection based on belief is accomplished, an account of how exactly comparisons between the candidate and the voter must be made to accommodate a multitude of potential attributes. Both physical attributes, such as race, and non-physical attributes, such as political ideology, can be used to compare and contrast a candidate with a voter. With this data, we can then predict the outcome between a certain attribute that a voter shares (or does not share) with a candidate and the support that candidate receives from that conglomerate.…

    • 3394 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Ap Gov Chapter 1 Study Guide
    • 3269 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Ap Gov Chapter 1 Study Guide

    CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCING GOVERNMENT IN AMERICA CHAPTER OUTLINE I. Introduction: Politics and Government Matter (pp. 3–8) A. Many Americans are apathetic about politics and government. B. Political knowledge fosters civic virtues, educates citizens on policy, and promotes participation.…

    • 3269 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gilens And Page's Argument Analysis
    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Gilens And Page's Argument Analysis

    In addition to the argument of the affluent as rational voters, Gilens and Page argues in their article, “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups and Average Citizens” that politics is not a zero sum game because the views of the average citizens correlate with some of the preference of elites. But his data insufficient because his definition of affluent voters differs from the definition of affluent voters in this paper. Gilens “affluent” respondents in his study, were households with an annual income of only $146,000, as opposed to the .01% who make more than over 100 million dollars annually. Although the affluent voters Gilens describe make more than the average voter, and more than low income voters, their views are still highly correlated to one another because the gap between their incomes are not as significant. As demonstrated with people in the higher income bracket, the more money they earn the more involved they are with politics because of the policies that can…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ylime Create A Dystopian Youth
    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ylime Create A Dystopian Youth

    The word socialism originates from a word meaning ‘direct control’ (Peerform). In a socialism, the government is in charge of everything from planning, producing, and distributing goods (Ramos). The citizens provide the supplies for the government and they distribute it to all the citizens. For example, if a farmer produces corn, the government will take all of his produce and distribute…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Exam #2 Notes
    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Exam #2 Notes

    | * Public Opinion: the citizen’s attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events. * Political Socialization: the process by which people learn political beliefs and values. * Agents of political socialization include: * Family- parents help shape one’s political views. Studies show that if their parents were Democrats, children are likely to vote for Democrats. If parents were Republicans, children will support Republican Party. * Social Groups- includes those to which individuals belong involuntarily (i.e.: gender, race) or voluntarily (i.e.: political parties, labor unions, and educational or occupational groups). * Differences in Education- school is an agent of socialization and ideas of liberty, equality, and democracy are often learned in school. * Political Conditions- conditions under which individuals and groups are…

    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Tides of Consent Paper
    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Tides of Consent Paper

    Gradual, tidal opinion change is the type of change that is most important. Over the long term, what the public wants from the government is relativistic. Public opinion depends on what the government is doing. Therefore, public opinion works like a thermostat (Stimson 32). When the house is too warm, we send a signal and turn off the furnace, and vice versa (32). Stimson argues politics resembles a thermostat because when the public wants more from government, we turn up the heat and place liberals in power. But after seeing some policy change in the undesired direction, we turn down the thermostat and place conservatives in power. This trend continues indefinitely, but quite slowly. Therefore, American public opinion consistently moves contrary to the direction of the party of the White House (39). The two party system of politics is well organized for such a model of the influence of public opinion and is shown that the model fits well across certain issue domains. When new issues arise that are not covered within the dominant party cleavage, they are eventually incorporated through the process of “issue evolution.” Over the long haul, aggregate public opinion reacts to government actions and changes course, which results in changes in government, and then policy change in the direction indicated by the shift in public opinion. This makes movements in the aggregate highly…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Political Socialization
    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Political Socialization

    Political Party: an organization devoted to winning office in elections and exercising control over policy making…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Political Socialization In The United States
    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Political Socialization In The United States

    Have you ever heard a group of people arguing about which candidate is the best option for the United States, or who will take the correct stance against various political issues? Have you ever wondered where these individuals get their opinions from? Passionate ideas about politics do not just randomly pop into a person’s mind. These ideas are cultivated and nurtured through different processes and factors. The forming of these thoughts and political beliefs are known as “political socialization” (Ginsberg, Benjamin et al. 217).…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Political Stereotypes: A Comparative Analysis
    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Political Stereotypes: A Comparative Analysis

    Typically one’s experiences in life gage one’s beliefs about government and its role in daily life. Those distant in generations often differ in beliefs greatly rather than those who are more similar in age. Like one’s experiences and hardships shape their outlooks on life, political ideology is often shaped by events that occur in federal and state government. World War II, the Great Depression, and the recession of 2008 are all events that may have affected individuals in different aspects. Even those from different regions may hold different views from one’s own region. In contrast, families tend to hold the same political beliefs and outlooks on government involvement. In addition, those who share the same ethnic background may also…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Political Groups Incite Cohesion
    • 160 Words
    • 1 Page

    Political Groups Incite Cohesion

    Political groups incite cohesion in Americans by identifying with Americans on hot topics and interests that they feel strongly and passionate about. Political groups instill a belief into the American people that they have the internal cohesion to make an impact on current/new policies and decisions regarding these topics in favor of the public's opinion. These groups find ways to tie in Americans well-being and concerns into government programs as they discuss highly debated subjects such as health insurance, gun laws, immigration, women’s right to choose etc. To increase unity, political groups also incite cohesion by making promises to implement the changes that Americans want to see, whether they can follow through. Societal problems that…

    • 160 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Social Inequalities In America
    • 1476 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Social Inequalities In America

    People argue that the dominance of the upper class in politics does not cause them to poorly represent the lower class. Patrick Flavin argues this because he analyzes to see if as public opinion becomes more conservative across the states, elected officials voting behavior also become more conservative. He then compares the responsiveness with different amounts of rich and poor voter turnout. He concludes that an increase in voter turnout of the lower class does not improve representation (2012). While the amount of poor voter turnout may not be the cause of bad representation, they still are not well represented. Pew Research Center gathered data showing that the most financially struggling usually support democratic candidates more than republican. This shows elected representatives might be more republican than the public wants (2015). If the representatives are not equally derived from the different classes, there can still not be accurate representation. Regardless of the amount of poor who vote, upper class representatives will not be as motivated to benefit the lower class. Joshua Kalla and David Brookman conducted a field experiment on access to members of congress in which political organization contacted 191 congressional offices requesting meetings to discuss a pending bill. They randomly identified the organization’s members as either constituents or as campaign donors. The results…

    • 1476 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Political Socialization
    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Political Socialization

    I have not been very familiar with politics until I started taking this class. My mother is a democrat and father is a republican. I am a republican as well. I can remember my mom and dad arguing about who to vote for president. My dad has the most political influence on me. My mother and I rarely discuss anything that has to do with politics. As for my friends and other family members, never do we discuss politics.…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Role Of Interest Groups In American Politics
    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Role Of Interest Groups In American Politics

    This paper will discuss what interest groups are and the role that interest groups play in American politics and why it is important. Another thing that this paper will discuss is how interest groups have influenced American elections. American elections have been influenced with direct and indirect strategies to get a candidate elected. They have also been influenced wit the use of information. The direct strategies used where more in your face and out for everyone else to know about and where very effective. While the indirect strategies used may have been hidden and in the shadows they were also effective. The use of information was helpful to put things out into the world and it was also there to help the candidate that was being supported by the interest group gain popularity and/or publicity. Towards the end of the paper the role of interest groups and how they have influenced American elections should be understood.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Marxism Vs Fascism
    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Marxism Vs Fascism

    Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.…

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics