Public Opinion, Political Ideology
& Political Socialization
Ch. 11
POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
• Complex process by which people
acquire their political values
• Political Ideology - coherent set of
beliefs about public policy
• Political socialization is how people
acquire their ideology
– Americans tend to identify themselves as Conservative,
Liberal, or Moderate
• Freedom (LIBERTY):
– Freedom of: the absence of constraints on behavior freedom to do something (liberty)
– Freedom from: immunity from fear and want; the fight
against exploitation and oppression
• Order:
– Preserving life and protecting property
– Social Order refers to the established patterns of
authority in society and to traditional modes of behavior
• Equality:
– Equality of opportunity: Each person has the same
chance to succeed in life
– Equality of outcome: Government must design
policies that redistribute wealth and status so that
economic and social equality are actually achieved
CONSERVATIVES (American)
• Higher value placed on
freedom than on equality when
the two conflict. Restrict
freedom when threatened with
the loss of order
• limit size of government
(national)
• decrease regulation of business
• Pro-life
• support school vouchers
• freedom and tradition
LIBERALS (American)
• Gov should promote
equality, even if some
freedom is lost in the
process, but who oppose
surrendering freedom to
government-imposed order
• larger role for government
• Increase regulation of
business
• Increase gun control
• Pro-choice
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
• Ideological Types in the United States also include:
– Libertarians: People who favor freedom over both
equality and order
– Communitarians: People who favor equality and
order over freedom
• The widely-shared beliefs, values, and
norms that citizens share about their
gov.
• Helps define the publics expectations
towards the political process and its
role in the process
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.
AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE
• Democracy
• Equality of opportunity
• Individual liberty
• Civic duty
• Rule of law
• Private property
• Capitalism
• Nationalism and exceptionalism
Equality
• Americans strongly support:
• political equality
• legal equality
• equality of opportunity
• There is much less support for equality of results
• social welfare less comprehensive than in other
Western democracies
POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
FAMILY
• #1 indicator of ideology
• More to do with ideology than party
RELIGION
• Catholics and Jews more liberal on social and
economic issues than Protestants (WASP)
• Religious differences make for political differences
– Social status – discrimination or minority position
w/i society
• Christian Coalition
EDUCATION
• More education (higher degree) = more
liberal
• Liberal education, professors, exposure,
intellectual freedom
GENDER
• Gender gap
• Women reliable democrats since 60’s
– Shifted b/c of women’s liberation
• Men identify more w/ Republicans
– Women: social
– Men: military and economic
AGE
• Older people vote more conservative than
younger votes and at a higher rae
SOCIAL CLASS
• “Blue collar” (Laborer) typically
Democrat
• “White collar” (Businessmen) typically
Republican
• New Deal coalition
RACE & ETHNICITY
•
•
•
•
Argument based on past policy
Agree on more issues than disagree
Blacks more liberal coalition than whites
Hispanics – Cubans more conservative; hardcore
Catholics more conservative, BUT immigration
policy favors liberals
NEW DEAL COALITION
• Coalition of Democratic state party
organizations, city machines, labor unions
and blue collar workers, minorities (racial,
ethnic and religious), farmers, white
Southerners, people on relief, and
intellectuals
REAGAN CONSERVATIVES
• White (WASP), socially conservative, attracted to
social conservatism on issues such as abortion,
Christian right, and hawkish foreign policy
• Reagan Democrats – voted for Carter, then hated
Carter, fell in love with Reagan, then voted for Reagan
and Bush Sr.
GEOGRAPHICAL REGION
•
•
•
•
East and West coast – more liberal
Mid-West – more conservative
Urban – liberal
South: 1870s-1950s – Democrat “solid south” but tday
social conservatives (whites especially)
• North more liberal
– Economic and social
SUNBELT
How Americans Participate in
Politics
• Class, Inequality, and Participation
Figure 6.5