II. Political Beliefs and Behaviors
Individual citizens hold a variety of beliefs about
their government, its leaders, and the U.S. political system
in general; taken together, these beliefs form the foundation
of U.S. political culture. It is important for students to
understand how these beliefs are formed, how they evolve,
and the processes by which they are transmitted. Students should know why U.S.
citizens hold certain beliefs about politics, and how families, schools, and the media act
to perpetuate or change these beliefs. Understanding the ways in which political
culture affects and informs political participation is also critical. For example, students
should know that individuals often engage in multiple forms of political participation,
including voting, protest, and mass movements. Students should understand why
individuals engage in various forms of political participation and how that participation
may affect the political system.
Finally, it is essential that students understand what leads citizens to differ
from one another in their political beliefs and behavior and the political consequences
of these differences. To understand these differences, students should focus on the
demographic features of the American population and the different views that people
hold of the political process. They should be aware of group differences in political
beliefs and behavior. Students should also understand how changes in political
participation affect the political system.
Political Culture v. Ideology
Political Culture
• A set of general
attitudes, ideas and
beliefs
• Broadly informs and
shapes a region’s
politics
Ideology
• A set of specific
attitudes, ideas and
beliefs
• Provides or
advocates a
coherent plan for
social, political, or
economic action
Political culture is different from ideology because people can disagree
on ideology, but still have a common political culture.
Ideology is individual. It orders an individual's political
thoughts. People with the same ideology often form groups,
but an ideology guides individual political thought.
Political culture is shared (i.e. it is societal).
Example: Many people in the United States are classic
liberals (meaning they focus on the rights of individuals). By
contrast, many people in China reject liberalism. Liberalism
is an ideology since it is held by individuals. However, we
can use elements from political culture to explain the strength
of an ideology. Many people in the United States are liberals
because the value of the individual is part of our political
culture. By contrast, the value of groups of people is
reflected in Chinese poliltical culture, resulting in a rejection
by many individuals of liberalism.
(1) a particular distribution of political attitudes, values,
.
feelings, information
and skills that affects a political system
(2) a set of beliefs and ideas that one can apply to policies and
events ; one’s political moral code and world view
(3) A belief system that explains and justifies a preferred
economic and governmental order for society, offers strategies
for its maintenance or attainment and helps give meaning to
public events, personalities and policies
(4) the traditional orientation of the citizens of a nation toward
politics, affecting their perceptions of political legitimacy
(5) Norms and beliefs about politics that are shared and
transmitted to others.
(1) a particular distribution of political attitudes, values,
.
feelings, information
and skills that affects a political system
c
(2) a set of beliefs and ideas that one can apply to policies and
events ; one’s political moral code and world view i
(3) A belief system that explains and justifies a preferred
economic and governmental order for society, offers strategies
for its maintenance or attainment and helps give meaning to
public events, personalities and policies i
(4) the traditional orientation of the citizens of a nation toward
politics, affecting their perceptions of political legitimacy c
(5) Norms and beliefs about politics that are shared and
transmitted to others. c
comp 2009
The following are acceptable definitions:
• A coherent set of values and beliefs about the goals
of government, public policy, or politics.
• A belief system about how government should rule,
be run, or implement policies.
• A set of beliefs or guiding principles about
government and policy.
• A set of aims, principles, and ideas that inform
political practice.
Notes:
Definition must indicate that __________is not
just one idea or opinion but is a pattern of belief(s)
about politics, policy, or government.
American values
freedom/liberty
American Beliefs
Conservative in theory, liberal in practice
American values
Equality . . but
. of opportunity, not result
Political tolerance
More in abstract than in concrete
individualism
Limited Government
Mistrust in government--esp. Since the 1960's
Another result of FREEDOM and
individualism and distrust of gov’t
and . . . That ole protestant work ethic
.
Proud to be American
Litigious
More religious
Less class conscious
SEE handout from PEW
comparing US and . . . . .
What has shaped our political culture?
History
• founding fathers who distrust human nature and authority
• first "new" nation--put ideas into practice
• assert our rights--make us more adversarial--not gradual
evolution of rights like UK
• no history of aristocracy, no strong socialist or communist party
• Western Frontier--lots of room to expand, opportunity, run over
others (Western states, especially individual, and democratic:
weak parties, more women in politics, more initiatives etc)
• Founders escape religious freedom (though had it in Holland-so
escape here for economic opportunity)
Religion
• Many Americans cite religion as important in life
• Religious leaders use pulpit for political change
• Protestant work ethic
Family structure--more equal, kids have rights, talk back etc
Economic system: capitalism depends on individual rights,
less reliance on state
Government efforts--promote capitalism, school
socialization, etc.
Ideological Battlegrounds:
Four Perspectives
four ideological groupings in
American politics:
Liberals favor economic activism by
government, including protection of the
environment and consumers, but in social
affairs they are apt to oppose government
intervention such as restrictions on abortion
Conservatives favor limitation of the government's role in the economy, including low taxation,
but they often favor strong governmental activism in such areas of social affairs as regulation of
pornography.
Populists are liberal in economic affairs, favoring governmental regulation of the economy, but
they are conservative in social affairs, often siding with conservatives on social issues.
Libertarians are consistent in favoring sharp limitations on government action in either the
economic or social spheres. Libertarians thus may oppose almost all government regulations,
whether environmental regulations or attempts to regulate drug use.
___________is a political philosophy that emphasizes that the
common person is being oppressed by elites so that the
instruments of the state need to be grasped from this selfserving elite and used for the benefit and advancement of the
people as a whole.
Where Do You Fit?
The Political Party Test
Make sure you look at social issues/economic
issues as well as overall AND how you compare
based on gender religion etc
http://www.people-press.org/political-party-quiz/
i
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/spc/v
ote2012/quiz/
http://people-press.org/report/662/same-sexmarriage
See EXIT poos
http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/rac
e/president
How do we measure the political beliefs of Americans?
And why’s it matter what Americans think?
Don’t forget elections . . .
And the census . . .
Finally, it is essential that students understand what leads citizens to
differ from one another in their political beliefs and behavior and the
political consequences of these differences. To understand these
differences, students should focus on the demographic features of the
American population and the different views that people hold of the
political process. They should be aware of group differences in political
beliefs and behavior. Students should also understand how changes in
political participation affect the political system.
For the presidential candidates and the
pundits who write about them, one concern in
the 2008 campaign is the "religion gap" -shorthand for the religious differences
between Republican and Democratic voters.
An analysis of national exit polls from 2004
shows there is not one but two religion gaps - one based on religious affiliation and the
other based on frequency of attendance at
worship services.
In the 2004 presidential election, exit polling
by the National Election Pool found that
religious affiliation and frequency of
attendance at worship services had a larger
impact than many other, better-known
factors, including the "gender gap" between
men and women and the "class gap" between
the most and least affluent voters.
Note the effect of Cross cutting
cleavages
Evangelical Protestants" refers to respondents who described themselves as white, born-again
and Protestant as well as respondents who described themselves as white, born-again and
Other Christian.
"Mainline Protestants" refers to respondents who described themselves as white, non-bornagain and Protestant.
"Black Protestants" refers to respondents who described themselves as black and Protestant
as well as respondents who described themselves as black and Other Christian.
"Latino Protestants" refers to respondents who described themselves as Hispanic and
Protestant as well as respondents who described themselves as Hispanic and Other Christian.
"Non-Latino Catholics" refers to respondents who described themselves as Catholic but not
Hispanic.
"Latino Catholics" refers to respondents who described themselves as Hispanic and Catholic.
"Other Christians" refers to respondents who described themselves as Mormon as well as
respondents who described themselves as white, non-born-again and Other Christian.
"Jews" refers to respondents who described themselves as Jewish.
"Other Faiths" refers to respondents who described themselves as Muslim as well as
respondents who reported that they regularly attend worship services and described their
religious affiliation as "Something Else."
"Unaffiliated" refers to respondents who claimed no religious affiliation as well as infrequent
worship service attenders who described their religious affiliation as "Something Else."
Political Socialization
Definition: the process through which the
individual gets political knowledge, feelings
and evaluation regarding the political
system
Media
School
all regimes target the youth for obvious reasons . . .
in part this is just civics
also--a more educated citizenry is more likely to be "informed"
which is a critical aspect of democracy
Other ways governments act as agents of socialization—by
promoting _________(the belief that someone who occupies the
same territory has something important in common which makes
them superior) which helps them achieve __________.
President
Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad of
Iran said his
country was
seeking better
ways to make
atomic fuel.
NYT 4/17/2006
Propaganda
Definition: ideas, facts or rumors spread
deliberately to further one's cause or to
damage an opponent's cause
extremes of the CPI (Committee on Public
Information) but it is also the "spin" all
politicians put on their actions and proposals
but: compare it to China or former Soviet
Union where press is controlled by
government
Text books
More governments attempts to socialize
making possible certain kinds of participation
e.g. the ________amendment (right to vote for 18 year olds)
Censorship or P______ __________”
The American Library Association says that among the most
frequently challenged books of the decade 1990-2000 were:
I know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stein
Importance of civil society to political socialization
Other Concerted Attempts to Socialize you
:
Other agents of socialization can be based on
your experiences connected to . . .
Religion
Ethnicity
Gender
Region
Race
Income
Level of education
. . . cleavages
The Expanding American Electorate
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1789: Adult, White Men, Property Owners
1850: literacy laws & poll taxes enforced
1866: 14th Amd. granted right to all 21 year old men
1870: 15th Amd. granted right to vote to Blacks
1920: 19th Amd. granted right to vote to women
1964: 24th Amd. outlaws poll taxes
1965: Voting Rights Act fully incorporates Black voters
1971: 26th Amd. granted right to vote to 18 year olds
1975: VRA Amendment to include language minorities
(bilingual voting info)
Other types of
Participation
The archbishop of Washington, Theodore E. McCarrick, addressing
demonstrators at an immigration rally Monday in Washington.
Throngs of immigrants and their supporters called for
legal status and citizenship for illegal immigrants.
NYT 4/10/2006 Directed at Congress
Directed at the Sup Ct
What did the book id as “unconventional political
participation?
Civil Disobediance
What are these?
Social MOVEMENTS
Grass Roots: Political involvement that stems from
members of a community rather than from established
political organizations.
Vs “astroturfaf” Artificially manufactured movement
designed to give the appearance of grass roots.
Reinforcing and Cross-Cutting Cleavages
Societal cleavages (e.g. race, class, religion, gender, region, etc) can produce conflict
and disagreement among the population over politics and policy.
Reinforcing Cleavages
If cleavages overlap with each other, this can heighten the conflict and be more
divisive.
The disagreements produced by one division (e.g. class), will reinforce the divisions
produced by another (e.g. race).
Finding agreement and compromise across groups in this situation can be that much
more difficult.
Cross-cutting Cleavages
If cleavages cut across each other, this can lessen the presence of conflict across groups
Disagreements produced by one division can produce cross-pressures for individuals
and mitigate the divisions they may experience by way of another cleavage
Cross-pressures help produce "bridges" across the cleavages, making agreement and
compromise more likely.