Public Opinion

1. Public Opinion • Is the federal government truly of the people, by the people, and for the people? • Large budget deficit, public opinion says people want a balanced budget • Busing ordered to balance schools racially, but people oppose busing. • ERA not ratified, yet people supported it. • No term limits, yet most people support them.

2. What is public opinion? • California- Monetary Control Bill example. • Americans are typically poorly informed about government and care little about most public policy issues, but they are good at using limited information to figure out what policies, parties, or candidates most nearly reflect their values or favor their interests and voting accordingly.

3. Polling • Keys to see if polling is good: • Are the questions comprehensible? • Are the questions worded fairly? • Is the poll done using a random sample? • What is the sampling error? • Exit polls: interviews with randomly selected voters conducted at polling places on election day in a representative sample of voting districts.

4. AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION Political socialization- Process by which background traits influence one’s political views. Typically, elites hold a different view of politics than the average citizen. -More likely to have a consistent set of opinions about the policies government ought to pursue.

5. Family • Children same party as parents, but declining • Crossovers are independents • Party identification higher than beliefs • Young people tend to be more liberal on issues such as gay marriage, yet more conservative on issues such as vouchers and privatization of social security. (Figure 7.1)

6. Religion • Religious influences on public opinion are most pronounced on social issues, and less evident in other policy areas. • Refer to Table 7.1 and views on school prayer by religious groups.

7. Religion • Political conservatives not necessarily more religious than political liberals

8. Occupation • Occupation can play a role in public opinion, especially with labor unions. • Professionalization: Identifying with one’s profession

9. School • Engrain civic duty • College tends to make people more liberal • New and more ideas • Liberal professors • More degrees, more liberal • Beginning to change a little bit. College students getting information from sources other than newspapers and magazines.

10. Mass Media • Liberal media (Newspaper editorial boards, MSNBC, news magazines • Conservative media (Talk Radio, FOX News, Wall Street Journal)

11. Contact with Governmental Structures • Opinions shaped by positive or negative dealings with: • Tax authorities • School Officials • Police • Others?

12. Region • Northern Liberals • Southern Conservatives • New England independence • Texas conservative • California liberal but anti-immigrant

13. Class • Most view themselves as middle class • Not important voting factor • Other issues (abortion, prayer, arms control, environmentalism) more important • While there are economic differences among members of the different parties, these differences are typically not based on economic issues.

14. Gender • Gap between men and women in political views. • Women tend to favor Democrats, while men favor Republicans. • Figure 7.2- Women are more likely to view certain issues as very important than men.

15. Race and Ethnicity • African-Americans overwhelmingly Democratic. • Latinos trending Democrat. • Asian-Americans even more Republican than Anglo whites. • Difficult to make generalizations on beliefs from race to race. Even though you make generalizations about party ID, the beliefs can be quite diverse.

16. TRENDS IN AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE

17. Crosscutting Cleavages • “Divisions within society that make groups more heterogeneous.” • Differences do not reinforce each other • Lessens the importance of these differences • Multiple allegiance

18. Ideology • “Coherent and consistent set of beliefs about who ought to rule, what principles rulers ought to obey, and what policies rulers ought to pursue”

19. Liberals • Increase taxes for wealthy • Government intervention for employment, welfare, other social programs • Affirmative action • Decriminalizing “victimless crimes” • Rights of the accused • Pro-Choice • Free Trade Liberalism in Europe

20. Pure Liberal Demographics • 20% of population (2009) • Young • College • Jewish or nonreligious

21. Conservatives • Lower taxes • Victim Rights • Little government intervention • Older • Higher incomes • Midwest • White

22. Libertarians • Very little government intervention • Economic conservatives • Social Liberals • Young • College • White • Nonreligious • West • Higher Incomes

23. Populists • Economic liberals • Social conservatives • Reduce inequalities • Hard on crime • School prayer • Older • Low income • Religious • Female • South/Midwest

24. Self-Identification of Ideology by Americans • Gallup Poll (2009) • 40% Conservative • 36% Moderate • 20% Liberal • Gallup Poll (2010) • Democrat or Leaning Democrat- 44%, down from 49% in 2009 • Republican or Leaning Republican- 40%, down from 41% in 2009 • Independent- 16%, up from 10% in 2009

25. Left Wing Political Spectrum Left Wing Communists Socialists Democrats "Pure democracy" European Countries Extreme to Moderate Classless Society Welfare State High Taxes Government not needed Equality of Condition Pro-Choice

26. Right Wing Political Spectrum Right Wing Conservatives Republicans Christian Right Neo-Nazis/Fascists Moderate to Extreme Moral Majority KKK Pro-Life/Pro Choice Pro-Life Racists Low Taxes Prayer in schools Anit-immigrant