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WORKSHEET: From Socialization to Opinion
Identifying Influences of Your Political Socialization
List the agents of political socialization that have influenced your views the most on the
following issues:
1.
Capital punishment
2.
Abortion
3.
Prayer in Schools
4.
Government Aid to the Poor
5.
Gun Control
6.
Censorship (of music, internet, TV, etc.)
7.
Standards in Public Education
8.
Affirmative Action
9.
Taxes
10.
Nationalized Health Care
11.
Foreign Policy of Intervention in other countries’ affairs
12.
Minority Rights (African Americans, immigrants, gays, etc.)
13.
War and Peace
14.
Freedom of Speech
15.
Right to Privacy
Questions for Reflection
1.
Do you consider your self to be a liberal, moderate or conservative?
2.
How do your political beliefs compare to that of others in your family?
3.
Based upon your responses the fifteen issues, what conclusions can you draw about the
development of your political beliefs?
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Examples of Conflict in American Political Culture
Some Important Elements of American Political Culture:
Liberty- preoccupation with rights, economic freedom
Equality- equal vote, equality under the law, equal opportunity (not equal wealth)
Democracy- politicians accountable to the people
Civic duty- Serve the community
Individual Responsibility- barring some disability, individuals responsible for their own
actions.
Read each scenario carefully. Identify the two elements of American political culture in
conflict for each statement. Record the conflict on the space provided.
Example: High School students can pay taxes on their incomes but cannot vote.
Conflict:
Civic Duty (pay taxes) is in conflict with Equality (equal vote)
Example: You can’t yell ‘Fire’ in a crowded building.
Conflict:
Example: Citizens must pay income tax every April.
Conflict:
Example: Individuals can vote and register for the Selective Service at 18, but cannot legally
drink alcohol until they are 21.
Conflict:
Example: The government can confiscate your land to build a highway.
Conflict:
Provide two additional examples of conflicts in the five elements of American political culture.
1.____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
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Test Your Knowledge!
How would you describe the National Culture? How does it differ from other nations you are familiar with?
How did popular support for the war in Iraq change over time? How did the changes for Republicans,
Democrats, and independents differ?
In 1936 the Literary Digest ran a "straw poll" that mistakenly predicted that Franklin Roosevelt would be
defeated in his reelection attempt. What factors undermine the accuracy of such polls? What factors can
undermine the accuracy of even "scientific" polling?
How have modern techniques for molding and measuring public opinion contributed to the nationalization of
American politics?
Do voters think in terms of ideologies? Are voters' attitudes generally consistent? If not, what explains the
inconsistency?
Given the mechanisms through which politicians and the media can influence it, does public opinion really
matter?
Since aggregate opinion is simply the combination of all individual opinions, how can it be more stable and
coherent than individual opinion?
What are opinion leaders? Why might typical individuals rely on the statements or positions of these opinion
leaders in forming their own opinions? What are the limits on how much these opinion leaders can control
public opinion?
How does the American public agree or disagree on basic political values and policies? How does this
agreement or disagreement make politics possible or necessary?
In what areas do men and women differ most in their opinions? Differ least?
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MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Political culture: the patterns of thought and behavior that are widely…
a. … held in a society and refer to the relationships of citizens to their government and to each other in matters affecting politics and public affairs.
b. … diputed ina society and refer to the relatinships of citizens to their government and to each other in matters affecting politics and public affairs.
c. … held by no single society and do not refer to the relationships of citizens to their government but to other governments.
d. … disputed among citizens affecting politics and public affairs.
2. Political Socialization is the process by which
a. - the peripheral tenets of the political culture are transmitted from those immersed in it to those — such as children and immigrants — who are not.
b. - the central tenets of the political culture are transmitted from those immersed in it to those — such as chiildren and immigrants — who are not.
c. - the central tenets of the political culture are transmitted from those immersed in it to those — such as adults and native born citizens — who are not.
d. - only primary agents transmit the central tenets of the political culture to the secondary agents.
3. Name one primary group and one secondary group agent of political socialization.
a. primary: military; secondary: family
b. primary: churches; secndary: peers
c. primary: family; secondary: military
d. primary: co-workers; secondary: family
4. What does research indicate regarding the adoption of partisanship and family membership?
a. It indicates that there is little if any real association; most people adopt the opposing partisanship to their parents.
b. It indicates that there is a strong relationsip, in that most people adopt the partisanship as their parents.
c. It indicates that there is a variable relationship, in that most people adopt the same partisanship as their parents initially and then change later in life.
d. It indicates that there is a variable relationship, in that most people adopt a different partisanship than their parents and then change to the same on as
them later in life.
5. Besides family, school, and work, what other major influences are there on the political socializaiton process?
a. Nothing b. Everything else is about equal. c. The media and impacts from transformative events as well as personalites.
d. The media but not transformative events and personalities.
6. What is an exit poll and how is it different from a preference poll?
a. An exit poll is taken with voters after they have voted, whereas a preference poll is taken by potantial voters before they have actually voted.
b. An exit poll is taken with potential voters before they actually vote, whereas a preference poll is taken by voters after they have voted.
c. An exit poll is taken to solicit opinions on particular questions/issues, whereas a preference poll is often taken in order to track opinions' across time.
d. An exit poll is taken with potential voters only, whereas a rpeference poll is taken with actual voters only.
7. How do women differ from men in public opinion?
a. Women tend to take stronger positions regarding the use of force then men.
b. Women tend to support decreasing spending on education and healthcare relative to men.
c. Women tend to not be as interested in “moralistic“ issues as men.
d. Women tend to support increases in spending on education and healthcare relative to men.
8. Which statement is true?
a. Whites tend to support higher spending for defense and blacks tend to oppose higher spending on defense but support higher spending on welfare,
education and job training relative to whites.
b. Both groups tend to oppose higher spending for defense, but blacks support higher spending on welfare, education and job training relative to whites.
c. Whites tend to support higher spending for defense and blacks tend to oppose higher spending on defense, but both support higher spending on wlefare,
education and job training.
9. At least among mass public opinion, is it true that the public is well informed about politics?
a. no
b. yes
10. Is there a gap between general public opinion stances and specific stances?
a. Yes, people support lower spending in general but want increased spending on specific programs.
b. No, people who want to decrease spending in general also want to decreas it realtive to specific programs.
11. What is political ideology?
a. The same thing as a religion. b. The same thing as a philosophy.
c. An organized and coherent set of ideas that forms a perspective on the political world and how it works.
d. An organized but not coherent set of ideas that forms a perspective on politics and its processes.