poli sci 161 midterm 2
how do we differences in terms of racial resentment in the south according to kuklinski, cobb, and gilens (1997)
42% of white southerners expressed anger at the thought of an african american family moving in next door
how are specific circumstances regarding abortion viewed in public opinion?
gss: support is generally much higher for traumatic circumstances that elective ones. overall, most americans favor some restrictions and tend to oppose a total ban and only a minority of the public favors reversing roe v wade (2016)
give an example of widespread tolerance of opposing points of view and support for the rules of democracy
guarantees that civil liberties should be protected for all individuals
what are one goal of surveys?
increase the reliability of our questions. different respondents should answer or interpret the questions in the same way AND inconsistency in views leads to random error estimates that are less precise. how well does a given answer correspond to what the researcher is trying to measure?
how are political predispositions formed?
individuals form political opinions or political ideologies as they become aware of political issues. this process is significantly influenced by personality traits that originate early in life
what are some unrealistic expectations with class differences in relation to foreign policy?
might expect that individuals from high classes would be more willing to support military action abroad as an extension of internationalism, but survey data does not really support this
what do recent surveys show about the south?
only small difference between white southerner and the rest of the nation regarding race AND white southerners have shifted from predominantly democratic (but conservative) to overwhelmingly republican
for "the big five", how can we hypothesize a pattern where individuals at opposite ends of the spectrum may differ in terms of political behavior?
openness and conscientiousness are consistent predictors of political opinions AND extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability are occasionally linked to political opinions
what are the personality traits that make up "the big five"?
openness, conscientious, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability
what is conscientiousness?
organized and disciplined versus careless and impulsive
what are some characteristics of those who are high in conscientiousness?
organized, hardworking, inclined to follow social norms, attentive, organized, and dutiful. tend to be risk averse and prone to stereotyping
what are public opinions regarding equality for women?
over the last 50 years, polls have shown growing support for equality for women
what are public opinions regarding abortion?
public debate on abortion tends to stress the extreme ends of the policy spectrum. in contrast, most americans tend to hold opinions that are somewhere in the middle
how has public opinion shifted in regard to lgbt rights and the legalization of marijuana?
public has moved sharply towards being more favorable for both issues over a short period of time: support for the liberal side of the issues has at least doubles between 1996 and 2016 and public policy has largely followed this shift in public opinion
what are the public opinions regarding taxes?
public sentiment are largely anti tax, anti-tax sentiment has varied over time, partially in response to shifts in actual tax rates, and more likely to support raising taxes if the rise in tax rates falls mostly on the rich--typically very rational responses
what are public opinions regarding foreign interventions and war?
public tends to pay attention when there is potential for the military to be involved in foreign conflicts and when the united states is involved in an actual way, the initial public response has usually been widespread support. as wars drag on or have uncertain verdicts, the public's support tends to decrease
how does the distribution of party identification at the microlevel shit?
quite stable and rarely shifts, there are "partisan realignments" which result in large shifts in party identification due to political parties making major changes to their policy positions
how has voting behavior and partisanship of women changed since 1980?
remained within a narrow range. the movement of men accounts for most of the gender gap in partisanship and voter choice
what have researchers speculated as to why there has been a steady decline in political trust since 1956?
role of the media has transitioned from political cheerleading to presenting the news in a highly negative and personalized way. overall declining trend could be part of general decline in confidence in all major institutions (business, universities, medicine), but survey does not support this conclusion. survey response to trust in government may be subject to priming effects
what is one explanation for white opposition to civil rights legislation?
seen as an ideological issue instead of a racial issue. the ciivil rights movement has changed from equal opportunities to equal outcomes and affirmative action requires implementation by the government and conservatives are generally against bigger government
what is personality?
set of mental traits or dispositions that govern cognitions and behavior
any shifts in survey are __________________, not representing true opinion change
short term fluctuations, somewhat chaotic changes in individual (micro) level survey data
how has the government issues regarding african american civil rights changed over the years?
preciously, the central issue was segregation, but by the late 1970s, the issue shifted to whether the government should actively help african-americans improve their economic well being. in 1974, 1988, and 2016, anes asked whether the government should "make effort to improve the economy and social condition of african-americans and other minorities" or whether they should help themselves
are white southerners are considered more or less republican than white individuals in the north?
pretty equal
how else has anes measured public opinion regarding equality for women?
should women have "an equal role with men in running business, industry, and government" or whether a "women's place is in the home". in 1972, only 59% chose an equal role. by 2008, support increased to 93%
what did the 2016 css reveal regarding affirmative action?
significant differences in the opinions of white and african american individuals regarding support for affirmative action
what has the anes revealed regarding party identification?
significant movement in macro partisanship over time: tracks both presidential approval and economic conditions AND does not track ideology or swings between conservatism and liberalism
what is the pattern for party identification regarding women?
since 1988 (anes): women are about 10% more democratic than men. the gap is mostly seen in unmarried and well-educated women and there is no gap between male and female respondents that are married
what is extraversion?
sociable and affectionate versus somber and reserved
how has social trust changes over the years?
social trust has also been declining: from 57% in 1960 to about 33% currently. almost all of the decline can be attributed to generational replacement
what are the four domains in policy opinions?
social welfare (government aid), civil rights (quest for quality under the law), foreign policy (role of the US abroad), and cultural issues (differences in lifestyles values)
what have been the main factors into dividing people into republicans and democrats?
socioeconomic class and the division of class and income
how can the souths initial attachment to the democrat party be traced to the civil war?
south was the poorest region in the country, which was a plus for the democratic party. before the voting act in 1965, the democratic party of the south was mostly white individuals. the parties began to diverge on civil rights issues and african americans began voting in larger numbers. over the next 40 years, there was a decline in the number of white southerners supporting the democratic party, whites are now more republican in the south than in any other region
what are the general stereotypes regarding political opinions and region?
south: conservatism, particularly on civil rights and cultural issues west and northeast coastal states: notably liberal midwest and mountain west (!!!): conservatism
how are dates recalled?
specific dates are hard to recall, small events are hard to recall, and more recent events are easier to recall
how has the level of political trust changed over time in the us?
steadily declines over time
what does carney et al observational study reveal?
students who have messy rooms or workers tend to be liberal. those who are tidier tend to be conservatives
how do we measure economic or social class?
subjective social class and objective indicators of occupation, income, and education
what does previous research suggest about conscientiousness?
suggested a link between conscientiousness and conservative ideology
when will the public support or oppose a war effort?
support: with the encouragement of political elites oppose: increasing casualties
why is it that at the macro level, there can be orderly, observable changes in aggregate responses?
survey error at the micro level cancels out at the macro level and when people change their true opinions, this change tends to be uniform
large-scale studies of political participation show. . .
that there is a significant relationship between political efficacy and political activity. higher the sense of political efficacy, the greater likelihood of voting and participating in other political activities. low sense of efficacy is usually associated with political apathy
what do good questions maximize?
the correlation between answers to questions and what we are trying to measure
how do genes influence voting participation?
the degree to which people participate is influenced by their genetic makeup (personality). fowler and colleagues: analyzed voting participation records of twins pairs of identical twins were more similar in frequency of voting
how can we analyze the general ideological movement?
the distribution of the electorate in terms of ideological self-identification has not changed significantly over the past 40 years
what is political socialization base on?
the idea that what individuals learn when they are young has a lasting effect
what has the anes four-item "racial resentment" scale revealed?
the level of racial resentment among whites has not changed since 1988 and the link between racial resentment and political opinions has become stronger
what are the general public trends towards social welfare issues?
the public is generally receptive to government programs for economic welfare and for specific social welfare programs, only a minority of the public are opposed to liberal spending
what are some solutions when someone does not know the answer?
there is an issue with the design of the questions and they do not know about other answers --> residents ask others
what are the four main reasons why respondents may answer incorrectly?
they do not understand the questions, they don't know the answer, they cannot recall the answer (although they know it), and they do not want to report the answer in the interview context
what is the issue with the hypothesis surrounding genetics and political attitudes?
this view does not argue that specific opinions are genetically based. instead, genes determine neurological processes that influence broad reactions to environmental stimuli → influence political predispositions
how are political efficacy and trust are related?
those who believe that they can influence government tend to trust it
how has racial discrimination in housing changed over the year?
those who grew up when it was common to believe racial discrimination was okay are from an older generation that is rapidly departing the electorate (im assuming this is a nice way of saying they're dying) and are replaced by younger generations that reject this belief
what are period effects?
time-dependent changes in response to commonly shared experiences that exert a common influence on people at all ages in the life cycle. changes occur among all age cohorts simultaneously and in the same direction
explain how individuals have reason to trust their fellow citizens, trust government and believe that democratic participation is meaningful
to accept government decisions, individuals must believe their political actions can be effective. individuals should be able to trust the government to respond to their interests and they should believe that there will be no retribution against ordinary citizens. widespread distrust may threaten the stability of a democratic system
what is the new goal of the republican party?
to find ways to appeal to racial minorities and perhaps reserve their trend towards supporting the democratic party
to what extend are answers valuable?
to the extent that they are good predictors of facts, feelings, or other subject states
when do foreign policy issues grab attention of the public and what does it mean for americans?
events internationally are more dramatic than domestic events and foreign policy options are subject to more abrupt changes than opinions on domestic issues. this can affect the popularity of the president or the outcome of the next election
what are public opinions regarding defense spending?
trends in public attitude towards defense spending frequently shift, but do follow a rather rational course: spending attitudes response to the severity of the perceived threat AND spending attitudes respond to the actual increases and decreases in defense buildup
to what extent do group differences contribute to polarization?
"do we see increasing political division between the rich and the poor?" OR "is the nation becoming more divided by geography?"
what is the increasing number of americans view society as divided by class?
1988: 26% thought the nation was divided into "haves" and "have nots" 2015: 45% 2016 anes: 81% said that the difference between the rich and the poor is greater than it was 20 years ago
to what extent has healthcare as a social welfare seen public support in history?
1937 gallup poll: over 70% favored government provided health and dental care to those unable to pay for it 1950s: 60-65% supported the government paying medical bills for the elderly
what did the youth-parent socialization panel reveal?
1965 democrats consistently voted for democratic presidential candidates (50-75%) in the elections between 1968-1996
over the past 50 years, how has the south has adapted to the end of racial segregation?
1965: difference in opinion regarding segregated schools were substantial 1985: almost no difference between the white southerners and white individuals throughout the rest of the country
explain the major differences between white individuals and minority groups in terms of party id and voting patterns?
2016 NEP exit poll: 57% of white individuals cast their vote for trump, only a minority of votes from nonwhite racial and ethnic groups, white individuals are more likely to identify with the republican party, and asian americans, african american and latinos are more likely to identify with the democratic party
what is the 2017 gallup survey regrading abortion reveal?
29% of respondents: abortion should be legal in any circumstance, 49%: should be legal, but only under certain circumstances, and 18%: should be illegal under all circumstances
what is political cynicism?
evaluation that the political system is not producing policies according to expectations
how does marriage appears to reduce the gender gap that is commonly seen in partisanship, voting, and public opinion?
almost not statistically significant difference between husbands and wives across a wide variety of political opinions--importantly, there is a wide and substantial gender gap in the anes data. when couples agree on partisanship, it tends to spill over into other issues
what are some of the reasons why stereotypes regarding political opinions and region fall apart?
americans are mobile, only 40% of adults live in the same locally as when they were 16, near universal penetration of national media that should have a homogenizing effect
how does the pattern of higher income relating negatively to the democratic party reverse in 2016?
greatest support for hilary clinton came from individuals in the top 5th of income and republican party has the most support from the poorest whites than it had in more than half a century
how do older group vote regarding minimum wage?
actually more liberal and support raising it
what are life-cycle effects?
age dependent changes that exist when political views are influenced by maturation. the assumption is that if each new generation enters political life with identical political attitudes, any difference between generations is due to aging
explain the twin studies and their results
analyzing the different in the rate that identical twins agree on political issues compared to fraternal twins. both types of twins share environmental factors and any additional political similarity within pairs of identical twins is genetically determined. meta-analysis of all twins studies between 1974-2012 shows liberal-conservative ideology is 58% accounted for by genetics, 42% attributed to everything else (socialization, environmental factors)
how do people see issue?
as being beneficial or harmful to groups they identify with. group identification → public opinion
what is subjective social class?
ask people into which class they fall-lower, working, middle, or upper class
how does anes measure public opinion regarding equality for women?
ask responders if they would vote for a qualified woman for president. support gradually grew from a minority in the 1930s to almost consensus in the 1990s
what has anes revealed about political trust?
asked how much of the time "the government can be trusted to do the right thing?" in 1968: 60% said "almost all" or "most of the time". in 2017: 18%
what are some criticisms of the genetic approach for voting patterns/political ideology?
assumes that twins have equal environments in childhood and adulthood. different environmental factors could account for the greater similarity that seen in political behavior and opinions of identical twins. identical twins may lead more intertwined lives than fraternal twins, so there are not actually genetics at play here
explain the historic party affiliations of african americans
before the 1930s, african americans usually opted to vote for the republican party. since then: most african americans support the democratic party. democratic presidential vote among african american individuals is now almost unanimous
what is openness?
being open to new experiences versus conforming and preferring routine. usually called "openness to new experiences"
what is political efficacy?
belief that one can influence the political process. feeling that an active citizen can play a part in bringing about social and political change
how is social trust measured?
by asking, "do you believe that most people can be trusted or that you can't be too careful in dealing with people?"
when are unique political dispositions typically in place by?
by early childhood
how can we separate out the effects of genetic versus social influence?
by studying identical and fraternal twins. dentical twins: share identical genes (100%) and fraternal twins: share 50% of their genes (no more alike than regular siblings)
what is emotional stability?
calm and secure versus anxious and self-pitying
what are some compositional differences between urban versus rural populations?
cities have more individuals from groups that are characteristically liberal and small towns and rural areas are disproportionately evangelical. however, no more than half of the difference goes away if we account for composition
what are some solutions when someone cannot recall the answer, although they know it?
come back (dangerous) OR more specific question wording (priming)
why do we not have as much data to investigate trends in public opinion as we would like?
commercial polls only ask questions that their clients are most interested in. academic surveys are more interested in comparing questions over time, but frequently also ask about issue of the day. even when the same issues are asked about repeatedly, question wording is often different. cannot separate the effects of changes in question wording from true change in opinion.
what are all the properties of a good question?
complete script for the interview, question means the same thing to every respondent, the kinds of answers that are appropriate as response are communicated consistently to all respondents
what are the two questions we can distinguish between for analyzing public sentiment regarding racial issues?
concerning the goals or ideals of the civil rights movement AND regarding government action to actually implement the goals into policy
what was the south historically associated with?
conservative stance on racial questions and overwhelming support for the democratic party
how can high levels of political trust alleviate some of the opposition to redistributive policies?
conservatives are more willing to support government spending programs when trust is high
what accounts for the gender gap in partisanship?
conventional wisdom: women became more democratic as greater number went to college and entered the workforce
what does the anes data show regarding party identification?
correlation between party identification and liberal-conservative ideology has vastly increased over the last few decades
what have we not determined cause and effect regarding why couples are more politically alike now than ever before
correspondence on political matters could be due to non political factors, not just self-selection based on political compatibility. couples could get married with no regard to politics. overtime, they could become more alike in terms of political views. however, data supports that idea that self-selection is what happens--correspondence on political is already high at the time of marriage
what are some solutions when someone does not want to report the answer in the interview context?
could be an issue of social desirability bias and can use a list experiment OR assess person versus telephone or computer surveys
what did the 2015 yougov survey show about married couples?
couples are more politically alike now, in the polarized era, than ever before, but we have not determined cause and effect
what is a solution to the poorly defined terms example?
define breakfast in the question. ask people to report what they consumed before 10 am (researchers can code this later using a standard definition)
what are some solutions when someone does not understand the question?
define terms or tell everything --> researchers code
explain how the new pattern dividing the rich and poor (among white individuals) is the growing divide in education?
democrats: challenges in winning white working-class votes (typically those without college degree). among white individuals, clinton won 56% of the vote from 56% of the vote from college graduate, but only 37% of those less educated
what is an example of poorly defined terms?
did you eat breakfast today? (definition of breakfast varies wildly, leading to error)
what is optional wording?
different words to fit respondent circumstances, used to tailor the question to individual respondents, and optional words are place in parentheses
explain how democratic stability rests on a social consensus regarding values and goals
divisions within the electorate cannot result in lack of resolution or compromise
what does polarization in general mean?
does not mean that citizens take more ideologically extreme positions on political issues. does mean that citizens who hold liberal (conservative) positions are increasingly identifying themselves as democrats (republicans)
what is a possible explanation as to why white southerners are not considered more republican than white individuals in the north?
due to the latent racism among southern whites (carmines and stimson 1980; valentino and sears 2004), cultural conservatism on social issues and foreign policy (abramowitz), social identity (achen and bartels 2016)
how does ideological identification have life life cycle effects and no generational effects?
each new generation starts out more liberal, but generally becomes conservative with increasing age, each generation becomes more conservative at about the same rate, and an electorate's net division of ideological identification is constant (there is a regular pattern of entering liberal and becoming more conservative)
what are objective indicators of occupation, income, and education?
education is an imperfect predictor: many college graduates have lower incomes than skilled manual workers income: same dollar amounts lead to different lifestyle in different parts of the country occupation: many blue collar workers have greater incomes than white collar workers
what is the dual emphasis for american politics?
equality and individualism
what is efficacy?
extent to which a person believes their political activities will influence government
how have the difference between men and women in terms of partisanship, voting, and political opinions changed over time?
few differences, little change anes (1952-1964): women voted more republican than men largest gap: 6 percent 1968: women began voting more democratic than men 1980: considerable attention placed on the gap in presidential vote choice where women voted more democratic than men by 8 percent and in 2016 the gap increased to 13 percent
what is a solution when vocabularies in different subgroups of the population are not the same?
find wording or questions that has consistent meaning across an entire population
what is "the big five"?
five personality traits regarding individual differences in personality
what is the anes four-item "racial resentment" scale?
for each item, respondents agree or disagree with the statement and the answers to all items are summer and presented as a scale and individuals that score high on this scale are generally less supportive of policies perceived to help
what are the public opinions regarding affirmative action?
for general questions or questions frames as helping the advancement of disadvantaged individuals: 52-55% favor, 37% oppose for questions framed in terms of "preferences" see drastic decreases in support: 39% of white respondents support, 47% oppose
what are political predispositions?
function of the interaction between environmental factors and personality traits
what is the difference between men and women in regards to gender related issues?
gap is small or non existent. gss: men have been at least as supportive of abortion "for any reason" as women
explain the relationship regarding urban areas and liberal individuals
generally thought that urban areas are more liberal than rural areas, which are more conservative. 2016 cces: white individuals living in rural areas versus urban areas where in the rural group: self-identified conservatives outnumbered liberals 2 to 1
what are generation effects?
generation differ politically based on the collective experiences wrong the onset of their adulthood (when a specific age cohort is uniquely socialized by a set of historical events). the assumption is when certain events in history make a lasting impression on the cohort between 17-26 at the time (impressionable years)
what are the three effects regarding socialization during adulthood?
generation effect, life-cycle effect, and period effects
how does research conclude that there are not specific genes for specific political thoughts?
genetic variation affects broad personality characteristics → implications on political orientation. one view: genes influence ideological dispositions be affecting how people rate on the personality traits of openness and conscientiousness. another view: genes simultaneously affect personality and political predispositions through neural processes in the brain
what makes up a good survey question?
good questions are: reliable (consistent measures) and valid (measure what they are intended to measure)
how do levels of trust affect leadership strategies available to political decision making?
high levels mean political leaders have the flexibility to make decisions. if political trust drops to sufficiently low levels, it can result it social disruption
how is the level of trust strongly related to the existence of democratic institutions?
higher level of trust among citizens, the more likely a nation will have democratic institutions and be able to maintain long term stability. democratic institutions depend on trust among citizens that those voted into power will not use illegal methods to stay or abuse their power. individuals high in social trust tend to be tolerant, appreciate democracy, participate in politics, contribute to charity, serve on juries, and have high levels of confidence in political institutions
how are americans becoming more polarized?
ideology, partisanship, and vote choice are becoming increasingly interrelated
what is the hypothesis surrounding genetics and political attitudes?
if genetics influences behavior, identical twins should be more similar than fraternal twins
what are the problems with unacceptable optional wording?
if interviewers only use this wording when no immediate answer is given, the subset that receives it actually answers a different question than those who don't AND respondents who get the optional wording are primed
what is a result of poorly defined terms?
if respondents understand the question to mean different things, their answers will be different for that reason
what do stoke and denning (2008) argue regarding polarization?
important driving force behind polarization is generational replacement AND new citizens in the electorate are more polarized that those leaving the electorate
how has the anes tracked party identification over the years?
in 1937, the first poll asking about party identification showed that democrats were the majority. since the 1970s, and increasing percentage of the public identify as independents (typically about ⅓ of the electorate)
when are individuals most impressionable?
in the years leading up to adulthood. after this point, the stability of values increases greatly
how do individuals low in political trust turn to quick and simple political fixes as solutions for the perceived problems?
in two party presidential elections, they are more likely to vote for the challenger than the incumbent. in three-party elections, they tend to vote for the third-party candidate. in presidential campaigns, they vote for candidates that promise the most far-reaching change
what is the difference between men and women in regards to civil liberties?
men and women do not usually differ one exception: women have historically been more supportive of lgbtia rights
explain how democracy is often thought to work best when people have certain kinds of political personalities?
individuals should be open minded and not blame others, individuals should not rely on conspiracy theories as explanations of political events, and individuals should accept the complexity of democratic decision making rather than seek a strong leader to make decisions for everyone
what are cultural issues?
involve conflicts between forces of social change and forces committed to maintaining traditional moral values
how can the class differences in regards to foreign policy be traces to the 1930s and 1940s?
isolationism was appealing to the working class AND middle and upper class individuals favored a more active role abroad
how has the share of votes cast by racial minorities charged over the years?
it has steadily increased? by the middle of the 21st century, the majority of citizens is projected to be non-white and become more democratic in terms of behavior
why do researchers argue that it is important to maintain a certain level of trust among citizens in democratic systems?
it is an important sign when citizens withdraw trust based on the idea that the governments is not action in their best interests
explain red states and blue states
it is common to identify states as "red" (republican) or "blue" (democrat). research has shown that there are only small difference in opinion between red and blue states
anes question for regarding healthcare
liberal choice: "gouvernement health insurance plan which would cover all medical and hospital expenses" conservative choice: medical expenses would be "paid to individuals through private insurance" 7 point scale: 1-3 = government health plan, 5-7 = private plan recent increase in support for private plan
what are class differences on non economic issues?
liberalism tends to increase as individuals move up in social status
how are social status differences complicated by the role of education?
liberalizing effect of education is almost entirely limited to non economic issues, high education is associated with liberalism, and in contrast, for economic issues, high income is negatively related to liberalism
what are some reasons that older cohorts might differ in opinion from younger cohorts?
life cycle effects: process of maturing results in changes throughout adulthood generational effects: each group of young voters differs from those in the past
what is a good test of the extent of class divisions?
look at how they predict different preferences in taxing, spending, and policy outcomes
what are the three usual patters regarding age and political opinions?
majority of issues: no meaningful age-group differences small number of issues: older individuals are more conservative than younger individuals rarely: young individuals are more conservative than those who are older
what is the persistence of political orientations?
many political predispositions are stable over time, but individuals continue to learn and adjust their political views in response to their environment and life events while in adulthood
what are race and political opinions generally?
members of non white racial groups tend to be more liberal than the white majority on most issues and asian americans tend to fall between white and hispanic individuals in terms of liberalism
what are general tends of young adults or cohorts regarding political trends?
more likely to feel that the government should provide a variety of increased services to citizens, favor more government spending that the oldest cohort, favor new economic innovations (obamacare, privatizing social security), and are more liberal than older ones
how can the anes four-item "racial resentment" scale be used to predict evaluations of presidential candidates over the years?
more strongly predicts evaluation of barack obama than other democratic presidential candidates and the effect of racial attitude exceeds the effect of party identification in predicting feeling towards president obama. in 2016, it was a stonger predictor of the republican presidential vote than in 2012
how do genetics influence party identification?
party identification is fairly resistant to genetic influence. socialization exerts an overwhelmingly strong effect on the formation of partisanship
what are the major class differences in regards to foreign policy?
people in lower education strada are more likely to take the isolationist position than those who are better educated
why is it difficult to get true attitudes regarding civil rights?
people often hide their true preferences
what is the level of political trust driven by?
performance of the government
what can political beliefs be tried to?
personalities and genes
does the influence of personality extend from ideology to partisanship?
personality may be a weak or nonexistent determinant of the direction of partisanship and once we account for ideology, personality does not usually have a significant effect. personality does have a significant effect on affiliation with a party in general (extraversion, agreeableness, and openness: determinants of whether people affiliate with any party and strength of affiliation)
how does socialization during adulthood effect political ideology?
political predispositions acquired by mid to late 20s persist and extend throughout adulthood
what is assumption?
political systems work better when citizens trust both their fellow citizens and the government
what has research on online dating and dating apps revealed about the effect of political orientations on potential romantic relationships?
politically incompatible people tend to not communicate with each other on dating sites AND data from okcupid shows that republicans and democrats rated each other more negatively as potential dates than any other potential indicator of a desirable match
how have public opinion researchers explained the depth of support from trump's base of supporters?
trumps message might have had special resonance with (white) low-information voters, may have attracted authoritarian supporters who saw him as their leader, racial resentment, fear of social change, economic grievances of working-class whites, partisan or ideological identity, and disliking his opponent more than him
what moves political trust?
trust fluctuates over time. trust in the government all or most of the time has ranged from about 72% in 1956 to 10% in 2016
what is agreeableness?
trusting and helpfulness versus suspicious and uncooperative
what is social trust?
trusting fellow citizens. often cited as what make democracy work
what is political trust?
trusting the government. individuals high in politica trust are satisfied with the procedure and outcomes of government
what are the public opinions regarding foreign policy?
typically people do not follow foreign affair closely, so they often do not have enough information to form an opinion which results in shallow opinions
why are lgbt rights and the legalization of marijuana lumped together in terms of cultural issues?
underlying dynamic of the changes in support are similar: major force behind the increases in support for marriage equality is AND generational differences support for the legalization of marijuana also shows significant generational differences--65% of millennials support legalization compared to just 32% of the silent generation
what is a solution when it is hard to collect comparable data from respondents who speak different languages?
use numbers instead of adjectives, avoid abstract concepts
what are the categories that men and women differ in their issue positions?
violence and aggression AND spending for social programs, health insurance, and assisting those in need
what is specialized wording for different subgroups?
vocabularies in different subgroups of the population are not the same and it is hard to collect comparable data from respondents who speak different languages
what is a problem associated with incomplete wording?
we want all questions to be answered and interpreted in the same way. incomplete wording leaves room for error from difference in respondent interpretation
what is an example of option wording?
were you (or anyone living here with you) attacked by a stranger during the past year?
what is an example of unacceptable optional wording?
what do you like best about this neighborhood? (we're interested in anything such as houses, the people, the parks, or whatever)
what social issues are the majority of people unwilling to pay more taxes for?
when individuals feel little to no individual benefits, they are less willing to support increased spending. examples include space exploration and foreign aid
what is incomplete wording?
when interviews or respondents must add or change words to make the question answerable
how can we can look at movement in national "mood" by averaging trends in opinion across a range of issues?
when liberal legislation is passed, demand for liberalism is satisfied AND the electorate's mood then turns conservative and the cycle repeats
what are some sharp distinction between white and african american individuals in terms of economic issues?
white: social class is consistently correlated with opinion on social welfare issues african americans: no relationship between social class and economic issues (may be due to "linked fate" hypothesis)
what are the four ideas that are vital for a functioning democratic government?
widespread tolerance of opposing points of view and support for the rules of democracy, democratic stability rests on a social consensus regarding values and goals, individuals have reason to trust their fellow citizens, trust government and believe that democratic participation is meaningful, and that democracy is often thought to work best when people have certain kinds of political personalities
what are some characteristics of those who are high in openness?
willingness to seriously entertain new ideas, embrace change, usually leads to becoming liberal and supporting liberal policies
what is the difference between men and women in regards to violence and aggression?
women are less likely to endorse than men. women are generally more supportive of a compassionate approach
what is the difference between men and women in regards to spending for social programs, health insurance, and assisting those in need?
women are more in favor. larger differences are seen on specific hazards, rather than general society-wide problems
what is inadequate wording?
words on the survey form do not actually constitute a question
what are poorly define terms?
words that are not understand universally and terms of concepts that have multiple meanings
at the macro level, can a small fraction of individuals shifting their opinion can have important political consequences?
yes!
are the majority of people still willing to opt for increased spending when they are told that it might require a tax increase?
yes, but not for all social issues
what are the trends of political interest in younger generations?
younger americans are generally: less interested and less involved in politics than older generations (wattenberg 2017)
how do younger generations feel regarding foreign affairs?
younger generations tend to favor cuts to defense spending. more likely to believe it's better for the us to "stay home"