Question of the Day
10.22.14
“The Constitution, like an old
wine has rarely survived an
ocean crossing.”
Alexis de Tocqueville 1835

Explain

“Unique American Moral and Intellectual
characteristics”
Political Culture
&
Political Socialization
Chapter 4 & 5
Chapter 4
10.22.14
Objectives
1. Define what scholars mean by political
culture, and list some of the dominant
elements of political culture in the United
States.
2. List the contributions to United States
political culture made by the Revolution,
by the nation's religious heritages, and by
the family. Explain the apparent absence
of class consciousness in the U.S.
3. Identify The Cultural War that exist in
America and understand the groups
involved in it.
4. Define internal and external political
efficacy, and explain how the level of each
of these has varied over the past
generations.
Topics
Political Culture vs
Political Ideology
 Characteristics of
Political Culture

•
Sources of Political
Cultrure
• Cultural War
• Mistrust
• Efficacy
• Tolerance
Political Culture

Define it
Political Culture

Widely shared beliefs, values and norms
concerning people’s fundamental
assumptions about how the Political
Process ought to be carried out.
Ex.

Political Sub-Culture (ch. 5)

• “Ballots not Bullets”
• “One Man One Vote”
Important Elements of P.C.





LibertyEquality –
Civic Duty –
Democracy Individual Responsibility –

What are the widely shared beliefs, values and
norms people have about these concepts?

Should we add or subtract any “Elements”?
3 Questions raised regarding PC



How do we know we “share these
beliefs?”
How do we explain behavior which is
“inconsistent” to them?
If there is agreement on political
values…why so much political conflict?
Political Culture vs.
Political Ideology (pg. 79)
11/26/14:
What is the Difference b/t P.C. and P.I.
Consistent set of views concerning the
policies government ought to pursue
Why is it important to examine political
culture as well as political institutions
and laws to understand a political
system?
Important because it determines whether and how certain political institutions and policies actually operate
Sources of P.C.
1.
Political history:
•
•
•
•
•
2.
revolution, U.S. Constitution, evolution of parties;
established liberty as the foremost political value.
the legitimate competition of governing and opposition parties
de Tocqueville; “…unique adversarial spirit quite foreign to
political life of countries who did not go through libertarian
revolution…”
and widespread but not universal electoral participation
Absence of established religion, but dominance of
Protestant ethic:
•
•
•
obligation to work hard, save money, obey law, do good;
development of participatory habits in congregational churches
de Tocqueville; “religion and politics actually complement each
other… religion here has a way of preventing tyranny.”
Sources Cont.
3.
Family:
•
•
•
primary transmitter of political values
especially egalitarianism
de Tocqueville; “They [men] give no superiority even in
opinion to one man above another, so that even though two
individuals never meet in the same salons, if they meet on the
public square, one looks at the other without pride, and in
return is regarded without envy. At the bottom they feel
themselves equal, and are.”
Culture War

Define

Issues

Differ from Political Issues b/c…

Based on Question: “_________________.”

Two Groups

3 causes for the rise in Cultural Conflict?
USA Today
What Roe Started
1.
Define “demonization”
2.
What are the 2 factors that caused it’s growth?
3.
What facts would you select to show that each side
is guilty of “demonizing” the other side?
4.
What is the relationship b/t Roe and a current issue
(Afghan war, ObamaCare, gay rights…)
5.
Which other “Milestones in the culture War” were
most divisive?
6.
Can we add any items to the “Milestones in the
culture War” post 2009?
The Forum;
America, We’ve Seen Worse
1.
Thesis and support
2. Mistrust & Political Efficacy

What level of mistrust do American’s
have & what has shaped our mistrust?

Define Political Efficacy and distinguish
b/t Internal vs. External

Compare our Current Levels to Europe
Short-answer question

The U.S. political culture emphasizes the
importance of civic duty. This belief has no
validity unless political efficacy exists in
reality. Discuss the degree to which the
American public possesses a sense of
political efficacy. Is the cultural value of civic
duty legitimately realized in the opinion of the
public?
Chapter 5
Political Socialization &
Public Opinion
Chapter 5 Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
Political Ideology and liberal vs
conservative.
Define Political Socialization and identify
the main sources in the developing of it.
Explain why there are crosscutting
cleavages between liberals and
conservatives in this country. Assess the
significances of race, ethnicity, and gender
in explaining political attitudes.
Identify the five key criteria that must be
met in designing and interpreting Public
Opinion Polls
Political Ideology
Political Socialization
The learning process in which individuals become
aware of politics and form political values

Define

list of Socializing Agents
• Family
• Religion
• Gender
• School
• Any we should add from your list?
The “Pregnant Nun” and Influencing
Agents of Political Socialization
Assignment
A.
B.
Using pages 106-111 Identify the 4 Agents of Political
Socialization.
For Each Agent, identify 5 characteristics/facts regarding
its role in Political Socialization.
(ex. Party ID and Family)
C.
D.
Identify the Ideology of the “Pregnant Nun”
For each of the 8 symbols used to reflect her P.I.:
•
•
identify which Agent of Political Socialization it reflects
Explain how the Agent of P.S. helped shape the P.I. of our
Pregnant Nun
QofD 10/14
Does the Media / campaign ads manipulate voter
behavior? Explain
Successful, but limited b/c we have learned-independent of media/gov’t- ideals that
help us make own choices.
Family






# 1 predictor of?
Age process begins
As grow older
“Red diaper baby?”
Upper Class vs lower class
Recent Influence
• Decline since 1950’s b/c…
Religion

Breakdown

Why?

Christian Coalition
• Catholic
• Protestant
• Jewish
• Social Status
• Religious Tradition
Gender Gap




Shift in political identification
•
•
•
1952 both = support for D.
Men more Rep. since 1960’s
Women- unchanged
Why?
•
more prevalent w/ Issues like gun control, size of
gov’t, gay rights, defense spending
Gap not always evident
•
Gender sensitive issues not at forefront
2008?
The gender gap in voting for president may
have been significantly larger if Hillary
Clinton rather than Barack Obama is the
Democratic nominee.
Schooling and Information





College =
More Prestigious College =
Length in College =
Study social Science as opposed to physical
science and engineering =
WHY?
•
•
•
Information
College Teaches Liberalism
Nature of Academia
QofD: Conservative or Liberal?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
A black woman with a college degree and high income
A middle-class Asian man who belongs to a labor union
A southern white male business owner
A Hispanic employee of the federal government living in South Dakota.
A white “soccer mom” who lives in the suburb.
A Protestant African American man who lives in Macon, Alabama, and is
CEO of a Fortune 500 Company.
A White, affluent women, who lives in Dallas Texas, owns her own
marketing firm and teaches part time at the local university.
A White, Jewish male, living on Park Avenue, who is currently enrolled in
NYU seeking an engineering degree and paying for the schooling from a
trust fund his parents left him.
A White male catholic, living in Hollywood, owns MGM studios, and is the
producer of American Idol.
An auto mechanic living in Ohio who is currently attempting to earn his
GED and is a member of the Protestant church.
Cross-cutting & Reinforcing
Cleavages
Societal cleavages (e.g. race, class, religion,
gender, region, etc) can produce conflict and
disagreement among the population over politics
and policy.
Demographics: The study of the characteristics of
population
 Examples of demographic characteristics are
where we live and who we are in terms of age,
education, religion, and occupation. Such
characteristics affect how we vote.
Reinforcing Cleavages:





Divisions within society that reinforce one another, making groups
more homogeneous or similar
Political conflict becomes more intense and society becomes more
polarized when reinforcing cleavages occur.
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






Divisions within society that cut across demographic categories
to produce groups that are more heterogeneous or different
If both the rich and poor people in all religions vote sometimes
on the basis of their religion and sometimes on the basis of
their wealth, the divisions would be cross-cutting.
If cleavages cut across each other, this can lessen the
presence of conflict across groups
Disagreements produced by one division can produce crosspressures 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.
Question:

Are RACE & CLASS (SES) reinforcing,
or cross-cutting, cleavages in the
United States?
YOU DECIDE!
The level of support (1-10) there is by
different SES groups AND Races, for
Generic (government sponsored) Social
Programs targeting: Elderly, Health Care,
College Assistance
What information is contained
in the chart? WHAT ARE WE
LOOKING AT?
This graph shows a slight tendency for class to serve as a crosscutting cleavage on these issues. The lower SES groups (both white
and black) tend to show slightly greater support for social programs to
benefit the elderly, health care assistance, and assistance to college
students, than their higher SES counterparts. However, blacks
(regardless of SEC) tend to show slightly greater support than whites.
However, this graph clearly shows that there is indeed a pattern of class serving as a crosscutting cleavage with race. Note that the level of support among the high SES groups is
uniformly lower within racial groups (i.e. high SES black have less support than low SES
blacks, and high SES whites have less support than low SES whites). Even so, within classes
blacks do tend to show more support for these programs than whites, even though there may
still be disagreement within the races across class lines. When the issue is about policy that
has a more class-based component (e.g. making sure that everyone who is willing/able to
work has a job, providing for a minimum standard of living, working to equalize income
differences in society, and providing adequate housing to those who need it) the potential for
class to cross-cut with race is greater.
However, it is a very different picture when the issue is more directly related
to race. On matters involving race-targeted policies (policies like affirmative
action and anti-discrimination laws) all evidence of class as a crosscutting cleavage disappears.
Reinforcing and Cross-Cutting Cleavages

Cleavages in public opinion
• No single feature of an individual's life (such
•
•
as social class) explains all (or even most) of
that individual's attitudes.
Create Divisions in public opinion
Among the important cleavages are:
• Social Class/Occupation
• Race/Ethnicity
• Region
Social Class/Occupation




Class Differences
•
“Blue-Collar” vs. “White-Collar”
Decline since 1950’s
Class/Income less of Cleavage
Why?
•
•
•
Occupation is replaced by “schooling”
“Upper class” exposed to “liberalism”
Cultural War issues = non-economic
Region

“Solid South” has transformed
• “Dixicrats” and Democrats of 50’s-1980’s
•
•
(economic issues)
Nixon and the “Southern Strategy”
More Conservative since “social” issues
began to dominate politics. Also more
accommodating “small business”
Race/Ethnicity

Blacks = Liberal on:
• Busing, housing discrimination, death penalty,
•
national defense
Most consistent liberal group (little cleavage
among Blacks; even rich and poor; Gender)

Hispanic

Asian
• Traditional liberal (2004 saw shift)
• Conservative
Polling Pre-assessment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
What is a poll?
What are some ways businesses can use polls? What
about politicians? The media?
There are several types of polls. What do you think is
meant by an issue poll? What about a favorability poll?
Results from a poll show that 51% of voters prefer Senator
Jones while 47% prefer her opponent, with a margin of
error of 3%. What does margin of error mean?
A campaign manager can use both demographic data and
polls to make decisions. What are some differences in
how these two types of information can be used?
How can poll results change the way individual people
think or behave?
What are three ways data from polls can impact a political
campaign?
Public Opinion
150 years ago Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg address that we are a
government … "of the people, by the people, for the people."
Yet Congress allowed the shutdown to last 16 days
Yet the federal government's budget is not balanced
Yet most Americans opposed Clinton's impeachment
Yet most Americans favor term limits for Congress
Yet the American People have a greater opinion of
Communist (12% approval rating) than they do of the
United States Congress (8%)

Public Opinion

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students
to public opinion polls and to learn how they
influence political campaigns.

Identify the problems associated with polling
and the aggregation of data, particularly to
identify biases in the wording of questions or
the size or make-up of the survey sample.

Demographics: the statistical characteristics of human
populations (as age or income) used especially to identify
markets.
Characteristics of P.O.
•
•
•
Public Attitude: inconsistent over time, hard
to uncover
P.O. places boundaries on allowable types
of public policy
Citizens willing to express opinion on
matters outside their expertise.
The Art of Public Opinion Polling
pg. 116
5 key criteria in designing and interpreting
Random Sampling polls
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Equal chance of being asked
Questions must be comprehensible
Questions must be asked fairly, unemotional
Answers offered to person must be chosen carefully
Sampling Errors
• Larger respondents = Lower error
• 500,000 pop = 1,065 respondents = 15,000 calls =
95% w/ +/- 3
• Polls are $$$ = less calls = higher error
Types of Bias in Polling
6 types of Bias found in polling
1.
Testimonial
2.
Mudslinging
3.
Transfer
4.
Card Staking
5.
Glittering Generalizations
6.
Contrast Question or Sandwich question
Polling Bias Types






Testimonial - Implied endorsements from celebrities.
Mudslinging – Name-calling or groundless assertions about another
candidate.
Transfer – Use of popular symbols or causes to create a positive
connotation for a candidate or the use of negative or controversial
symbols and causes to create a negative connotation of the
competition’s candidate.
Card stacking – Use of statistics in a one-sided manner; the omission
of information that is crucial to drawing an informed conclusion.
Glittering Generalities – Use of very vague words or phrases that
may have a positive effect on the viewer and appeal to a variety of
interests.
Contrast question or Sandwich question – Juxtaposing positive
images of one’s candidate with negative images of the competition’s
candidate.
Polling Bias Types
Testimonial - Implied endorsements from
celebrities.
Example Question: Did you know that Pat
Robertson does not believe John McCain will make
a good president? Do you plan to vote for George
Bush or John McCain in the Republican primary?
Mudslinging – Name-calling or groundless
assertions about another candidate.
Example Question: Do you favor the economic
policies of the Democrats, which will preserve
Social Security, or the policies of the Republicans,
which will destroy our Social Security system and
leave many of our elderly citizens homeless?
Transfer – Use of popular symbols or causes to create a
positive connotation for a candidate or the use of negative
or controversial symbols and causes to create a negative
connotation of the competition’s candidate.
Example Question: Knowing that Texas has one of the
highest rates of child poverty in the US, who do you think
will be the best candidate for president in 2000, Al Gore or
George Bush?
Card stacking – Use of statistics in a one-sided manner; the
omission of information that is crucial to drawing an
informed conclusion.
Example: Democratic television ads showing former teachers
and college administrators listing republican George Allen’s
failings concerning education. What the ads do not show is
the reasoning behind why he didn’t support certain bills,
and that many of the former teachers and college
administrators are disgruntled democrats who lost their
appointed jobs under Allen’s republican administration.
Glittering Generalities – Use of very vague words or phrases
that may have a positive effect on the viewer and appeal to
a variety of interests.
Example Question: Do you believe that we need a
Washington insider or a fresh new face from outside
Washington to lead our country through the next four
years?
Contrast question or Sandwich question – Juxtaposing
positive images of one’s candidate with negative images of
the competition’s candidate.
Example Question: Al Gore trusts the people of the United
States, not big corporations. Do you believe Bush, who
calls himself a “Compassionate Conservative” or Gore,
who is fighting for the people not the powerful, will make a
better president for most Americans?
BIAS when there is no BIAS!

“Consider, for example, a July 2009 Kaiser Health
Tracking Poll that asked about expanding the
number of Americans covered by health insurance
(http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/healthpoll.cfm).

The option given was creating a government
administered public health insurance option
similar to Medicare to compete with private
health insurance plans.
It was strongly favored by 26%, favored somewhat by 33%, a clear (59%)
endorsement of ObamaCare. To demonstrate just how this typical questions is
riddled with assumptions and missing information, envision a knowledgeable
respondent handling this item. He might ask for more information about who,
exactly, lacks insurance coverage and what proportion is voluntary or just
reflects non-medical priorities. Or even how many are illegal aliens? He will
certainly inquire about projected costs, how they are calculated, and how this
"free" government help is to be funded. And what about that word "compete"?
Will government under-cut private firms ("making medical care more
affordable") and thus drive them into bankruptcy? Will voluntary nonparticipants still have to pay taxes for those enrolled? Who are these
"Americans"? Will illegal immigrants and non-citizens be eligible, and how will
government administer this sorting if they show up at the local ER? No doubt,
the typical telephone interviewer will be totally overwhelmed by our wellinformed, sophisticated respondent, especially since the questionnaire lacks
adequate space for non-scripted respondent input. The interviewer (who may
be paid by the completed interview) will probably hang up and welcome the
next randomly dialed respondent who sheepishly accepts the questionnaire
designer's over-simplified policy framework. In a sense, polling is closer to
ventriloquism than giving voice to what thoughtful people actually think.”
Conservative or Liberal?










BACK
A black woman with a college degree and high income
A middle-class Asian man who belongs to a labor union
A southern white male business owner
A Hispanic employee of the federal government
A white “soccer mom” who lives in the suburb.
An African American man who lives in Macon, Alabama, is Protestant, and is
CEO of a Fortune 500 Company.
A White, affluent women, who lives in Dallas Texas, owns her own marketing
firm and teaches part time at the local university.
A White, Jewish male, living on Park Avenue, who is currently enrolled in
NYU seeking an engineering degree and paying for the schooling from a trust
fund his parents left him.
A White male catholic, living in Hollywood, owns MGM studios, and is the
producer of American Idol.
An auto mechanic living in Ohio who is currently attempting to earn his GED
and is a member of the Protestant church.
Fourth National Survey of Religion and Politics
Bliss Institute University of Akron, March-May 2004
Religion as a
Political Socializing
Agent
% of US
Population
Political
Political
Political
Affiliation
Affiliation
Affiliation
Republican
Democratic
Independent
Evangelical Protestant
26.30%
56%
27%
17%
Mainline Protestant
16.00%
44%
38%
18%
Latino Protestant
2.80%
37%
43%
20%
Black Protestant
9.60%
11%
71%
18%
Catholic
17.50%
41%
44%
15%
Latino Catholic
4.50%
15%
61%
24%
Other Christian
2.70%
42%
22%
36%
Other Faiths
2.70%
12%
55%
33%
Jewish
1.90%
21%
68%
11%
Unaffiliated
16.00%
27%
43%
30%
BACK
Political
Socialization
& Cleavages
Fourth National Survey of Religion and Politics
Bliss Institute University of Akron, March-May 2004
% of US
Population
Political
Political
Political
Affiliation
Affiliation
Affiliation
Republican
Democratic
Independent
Evangelical Protestant
26.30%
56%
27%
17%
Mainline Protestant
16.00%
44%
38%
18%
Latino Protestant
2.80%
37%
43%
20%
Black Protestant
9.60%
11%
71%
18%
Catholic
17.50%
41%
44%
15%
Latino Catholic
4.50%
15%
61%
24%
Other Christian
2.70%
42%
22%
36%
Other Faiths
2.70%
12%
55%
33%
Jewish
1.90%
21%
68%
11%
Unaffiliated
16.00%
27%
43%
30%
BACK
BACK
Top bar
Bottom bar
Figure 8.3
Extended Response Questions
Chapter 4
1.
Explain the term political culture. Why is it important to
examine political culture as well as political institutions
and laws to understand a political system?
2.
The U.S. political culture emphasizes the importance of
civic duty. This belief has no validity unless political
efficacy exists in reality. First, discuss the degree to
which the American public possesses a sense of
political efficacy. Is the cultural value of civic duty
legitimately realized in the opinion of the public?
Extended Response Questions
Chapter 5
1.
List and explain the symbolism behind the
caricature “Pregnant Nun” that represents our
Political Socialization.
2.
The text examines both the formation of and
cleavages in political Socialization. Discuss
how the factors accounting for the formation
of political Socialization also contribute to the
cleavages that have developed in public
opinion.
Public Opinion & Polling
Gagging Public Opinion is difficult

Lack of info and efficacy

Changes
Art of Public Opinion Polling ( pg 116)
1.
Must be Random Sample
2.
Question must be comprehensible
3.
Question must be asked fairly (clear language, no
emotional words or loaded language)
4.
Answer categories must be carefully considered
5.
Must control sampling Error

Read

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/artic
le/magazine/MAG1205991/index.htm