Public Opinion

1
Public Opinion
2
The American People

• Public Opinion
• the expression of attitudes about government.
• The distribution of the populations belief about
  politics and policy.
• Effects of American Diversity
• U.S. most diverse countries in world.
• Makes study of public opinion complex.
• Citizens not informed about issues.
• Least likely to participate in political process.
• Results in inequalities in who takes part in
  political action.

3
The American People

• Demographics
• science of population changes
• Census Bureau
• Constitutional requirement.
• Once a group establishes its numbers, it can
  then ask for federal aid in proportion to its
  size.

4
The American People

• Immigration in the U.S.
• 630,000 annually
• Waves of immigration
• Pre-Civil War NW Europeans
• Post-Civil War Southern/Eastern European
• Post-World War II Hispanics and Asians
• 1980s largest number of immigrants in US History
• A Nation of Immigrants
• Multicultural and multilingual society
• Assimilation of American values

5
The American People

• Effects of Immigration
• Melting Pot
• Mixture of cultures, ideas and peoples
• New minority-majority
• America will eventually cease to have a white,
  Anglo-Saxon majority.
• Estimated that middle of 21st century.

6
The American People

• African Americans
• Economically poor disadvantaged
• 33 live under poverty line.
• Recently gaining political power and influence

• Hispanics
• Gaining political power in Southwest
• Issue of Illegal Immigration
• Simpson-Mazzoli Act
• Fear of hiring discrimination
• Granted amnesty to illegal aliens (1982)

7
The American People

• Asians
• Most highly skilled immigrant group.
• Most wealthy
• Most educated group in country.
• 37 college degrees
• Twice national average

• Native Americans
• Population decline
• Worse off immigrant group.
• Least healthy
• Least educated.
• Economically politically disadvantaged.
• Majority live below poverty line.

8
Political Changes

• Regional Shift
• Population growth in West South.
• To sunbelt from rustbelt
• Reapportionment
• Tied to census.
• Gains/losses of congressional seats
• New York

• Graying of America
• Fastest growing age group (lt65 years old).
• Decline in birth rate.
• 2020 two to one ratio.
• Political and economic consequences.
• Social Security
• Political implications.

9
Political Socialization

• Political Socialization
• the process through which a person acquires
  knowledge, a set of political attitudes and
  orientations, and forms values and opinions about
  the political system and other social issues.
• Formal
• Informal

10
Political Socialization

• Family
• Learn basic attitude about authority, property,
  and rules of behavior.
• Prediction of youths ideologys based upon
  parental ideology.
• Early years syndrome.
• Adult behavior is firmly based on attitudes and
  values formed in the home during childhood.

11
Political Socialization

• Mass Media
• The new parent
• Major influence on peoples daily lives.
• Chief source of information as children grow up.
• Most common source of political information.
• Does not equate to influence.
• Lack of political knowledge linked to
  media-consumption habits.
• Young adults pay least attention to the news.
• Over-stimulation of media.

12
Political Socialization

• Education Systems
• Teach instill basic values
• Positive features about government system.
• Ensures youth group up supportive citizens.
• Tremendous influence of development of ideas on
  political and social issues.
• Most obvious intrusion of government into
  political socialization.
• Educated people more likely to vote, show more
  knowledge about politics and public policy, and
  tolerant of diverse ideas.
• Can sometimes be dangerous (ex Nazi Youth)

13
Political Socialization

• Politics is a life long activity
• Aging increases political participation party
  attachment.
• Political behavior is learned behavior.
• Governments aim socialization measures at the
  young.
• Ones political orientation grow firmer as one
  becomes more socialized with age.

14
Political Ideologies

• Do people think in ideological terms?
• Political Ideology
• a coherent set of values and beliefs about
  public policy.
• Ideological thinking is not widespread in the
  American public.
• People are not consistent in their beliefs!

15
Political Ideology

• American Voter Study (1950s)
• Looked at ideological sophistication of American
  electorate.
• Four groups of ideological sophistication
• Ideologues
• 12 could connect their opinions beliefs with
  broad policy positions taken by parties or
  candidates.
• Group Benefits Voters
• 42 thought of politics mainly by the groups they
  liked or disliked.
• Nature of the Times Voters
• 24 was limited to whether times seemed good or
  bad to them.
• No Issue Content Voters
• 22 were devoid of any ideological or issue
  content in their political evaluations. They
  voted routinely for a party or judged candidates
  by their personalities.

16
Political Ideology

• Analysis update through the 1980s
• Increase in proportion of ideologies, but
  overall, very similar.
• Terms of liberal and conservative are not as
  important as they are for political elite.
• To speak of election results as indicating a
  movement of the public as either right or
  left is a misnomer.
• Most voters DO NOT think in such terms.

17
Political Ideologies

• Predominant political ideologies in the United
  States
• Conservative
• Liberal
• Moderate

18
Conservative Political Ideologies

• FAVOR
• Individual responsibility
• Free market solutions
• Lower taxes
• Increased government spending
• Pro-life (anti-abortion)
• Governemnt action on social issues.

• OPPOSE
• Government assistance
• Regulation of business
• Government interference in private sector

19
Liberal Political Ideologies

• FAVOR
• Favor regulation of economy
• Affirmative Action
• Enforcement of separation of church state

• OPPOSE
• School-sponsored prayer
• Pro-posed bans on abortions
• Religious influence in government or public policy

20
Moderate Political Ideologies

• Larges portion of American public
• Over half in 2004 poll
• Beliefs do not constitute a coherent ideology
• Fall in between conservatives liberals in
  beliefs and ideals.
• Pragmatists
• Apply common sense rather than political
  principles to political problems.

21
Political Participation

• Voting in presidential elections most common form
  of political participation in U.S.
• Only about 50 of citizenry votes in such
  elections.
• Even less for state local elections
• Participatory political culture
• Political activity is not an important part of
  everyday life for most Americans.

22
Political Participation

• Types of participation
• Conventional (traditional)
• Voting, persuasion, petitions, running for office
• Unconventional (dramatic)
• Protesting, civil disobedience, violence.

23
Conventional Participation

• Participation reflects specialization division
  of labor.
• Voting is common denominator.
• Most Americans will vote in an election, but only
  a minority will do more than that politically.

24
Unconventional Political Participation

• Protest
• form of political participation, designed to
  achieved to policy change.
• Civil Disobedience
• consciously breaking a law one feels is unjust.
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Violence
• Vietnam War

25
Class, Inequality Participation

• Participation is a class-based activity
• Minority groups are below average in terms of
  participation
• Participation differences have been on decline.
• When blacks, Hispanics, and whites of equal
  incomes education are compared, it is the
  minorities who participate more.
• Minorities tend to have group consciousness that
  gives them extra incentive to vote.