AP GOVERNMENT
COOKBOOK
Unit II:
Political Beliefs and
Behaviors
SYLLABUS - Unit Description
II.
Political Beliefs and Behaviors (10% - 20%)
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 behaviors 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.
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Unit II Vocabulary: Political Beliefs and Behaviors Pt. 1
Political culture – The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how
citizens relate to governments and to one another.
Social capital – Democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and
respect for differences, which grow out of participation in voluntary
organizations.
Natural rights – The rights of all people to dignity and worth; also called
human rights.
Democratic consensus – Widespread agreement on fundamental principles
of democratic governance and the values that undergird them.
Majority rule – Governance according to the expressed preferences of the
majority.
Popular sovereignty – A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.
American dream – The widespread belief that the United States is a land of
opportunity and that individual initiative and hard work can bring
economic success.
Capitalism – An economic system characterized by private property,
competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government
involvement in the production, distribution, and pricing of goods and
services.
Suffrage – The right to vote.
Monopoly – Domination of an industry by a single company that fixes prices
and discourages competition; also, the company that dominates the
industry by these means.
Antitrust legislation – Federal laws (starting with the Sherman Act of 1890)
that tried to prevent a monopoly from dominating an industry and
restraining trade.
Political ideology – A consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and
the role of government
Liberalism – A belief that government can and should achieve justice and
equality of opportunity.
Conservatism – A belief that limited government insures order competitive
markets and personal opportunity.
Socialism - An economic and governmental system based on public
ownership of the means of production and exchange.
Libertarianism – An ideology that cherishes individual liberty and insists on
minimal government, promoting a free market economy, a
noninterventionist foreign policy, and an absence of regulation in
moral, economic, and social life.
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Unit II Vocabulary: Political Beliefs and Behaviors Pt. 2
Ethnocentrism – Belief in the superiority of one’s nation or
ethnic group.
Political socialization – The process by which we develop our
political attitudes, values, and beliefs.
Demographics – The study of the characteristics of
populations.
Political predisposition – A characteristic of individuals that is
predictive of political behavior.
Reinforcing cleavages – Divisions within society that reinforce
one another, making groups more homogenous or similar.
Cross-cutting cleavages – Divisions within society that cut
across demographic categories to produce groups that are
more heterogeneous or different.
Race - A grouping of human beings with distinctive
characteristics determined by genetic inheritance.
Ethnicity – A social division based on national origin, religion,
language, and often race.
Gender gap – The difference between the political opinions or
political behavior of men and of women.
Fundamentalists – Conservative Christians who (as a group)
have become more active in politics in the last two decades
and were especially influential in the 2000 presidential
election.
Gross domestic product (GDP) – The total output of all
economic activity in the nation, including goods and
services.
Socioeconomic status (SES) – A division of population based on
occupation, income, and education.
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Core Political Beliefs
These are the seven CORE BELIEFS that form the
basis for American Political Opinion:
Majority rule/Minority rights—Although
democracy is based upon majority rule,
minority rights must be guaranteed.
Equality—Equality of every individual before
the law and in the political process.
Private Property—Ownership of property is
protected by law and supported by the
capitalist system.
Individual freedoms—Guarantees of civil
liberties and protections of infringements upon
them.
Compromise—Allows for the combining of
different interests and opinions to form public
policy to best benefit society.
Limited Government—Powers of government
are restricted in a democracy by the will of the
people and the law.
American Dream– People do not have
economic equality, but through hard work and
determination, anyone can become wealthy.
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POLITICAL EFFICACY
Political Efficacy is citizens' trust and faith in
government and their own belief that they can
understand and influence political affairs
• Have faith in their government
Citizens with
HIGH Political
Efficacy
• Believe that they can influence
their gov’t
• More likely to be politically active.
(Voting, protesting, etc.)
• Have little faith in their
government
Citizens with
LOW political
efficacy
• Do not feel that they can
influence their gov’t
• Less likely to be politically active.
(Voting, protesting, etc.)
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WHERE DO OUR POLITICAL OPINIONS COME
FROM?
Early Life
Political Socialization: Political socialization is a lifelong process
by which people form their ideas about politics and acquire
political values.
Parents: Parental Influence is the
Number One influence on political
opinions
Educational Systems: Schooling
(Specifically Social Studies Education)
helps develop political opinion
Later Life
Media: Information regarding world
events shapes political opinion.
Peer Groups: Friends and associates
influence political opinions
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TRENDS IN POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: WHO
VOTES?
Age
• The older a person is, the more likely they are to vote.
• The AARP is among the most powerful interest groups
because of voter turnout.
Level of Education
• The higher a person’s level of education, the more likely they
are to vote.
• More education = higher political efficacy
Race
• Minorities vote at lower rates than whites.
History of Voting
• A person who has voted before is more likely to vote than one
who hasn’t.
• Whenever a new group is given suffrage, that group turns out
in extremely low numbers.
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REASONS FOR LOW VOTER TURNOUT
Low Political Efficacy: Many Americans do not feel that voting will change their
government.
Electoral College: The winner take all feature of the Electoral College discourages
voting in states that are not “swing states.”
Voter Fatigue: The large number of elections, primaries and public referendums
has lowered public excitement about the electoral process.
Weekday Elections: Elections are held on a Tuesday, which is inconvenient for
many working Americans.
Voter Registration: Unlike many countries, the U.S. requires voters to register.
Paperwork discourages voting. (Motor Voter laws sought to fix this.)
Two Party System: The winner-take-all nature of single member districts means
there are only two viable political parties. This limits voter choice. Many voters
do not see candidates that represent their views.
Political Scandals: Countless political scandals have reduced the public’s opinion
of politicians.
Closed Primaries: Many states hold closed primaries. In closed primaries, you
must be a registered member of the party to vote.
Negative Campaigns: The proliferation of negative ads has reduced the public’s
opinion of politicians and elections.
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RACE, RELIGION AND POLITICAL
OPINION
DEMOCRATS: (Liberals)
REPUBLICANS: (Conservs.)
African Americans are most
liberal and the most
reliable Democrat
voters.
Evangelical Christians vote
Republican.
Asians and Hispanics vote
Democrat, but at lower
rates than African
Americans.
Jewish voters vote
Democrat.
Newly naturalized
immigrants also vote
Democrat in large
numbers
Roman Catholics vote
Republican.
Mormons vote Republican.
**Whites are more likely to
vote Republican than
any minority group, but
the White vote still
remains split between
parties.***
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GENDER, WEALTH AND POLITICAL
OPINION
DEMOCRATS: (Liberals)
REPUBLICANS: (Conservs.)
Women are more likely to
vote Democrat than
Men.
Men are more likely to vote
Republican by a thin
margin.
The poorer a person is, the
more likely they vote
Democrat.
The more urban the
environment, the more
likely it is that a person
votes Democrat.
Though it is becoming a
smaller and less
predictable voting bloc,
Union members tend to
vote Democrat.
The more wealth a person
has, the more likely they
vote Republican.
The more rural the
environment, the more
likely that a person
votes Republican.
Suburban voters are also
much more likely to
vote Republican than
Urban Voters.
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IMPORTANT TRENDS IN POLITICAL
OPINION & VOTING
Presidential
Elections
Highest Voter
Turnout
Off year elections
have much fewer
voters
Women
Surpass
Men
Women now vote in
greater numbers
than men
After 19th
Amendment,
female voters were
few
New Voters
Don’t Vote
Whenever a new
group is given
suffrage, that group
barely votes
Ex. 18 year olds,
women, African
Americans.
Trending
Steadily
Downward
Voters have been
turning out in
smaller percentages
since the 1960’s
The 2004 and 2008
Presidential
elections were an
exception.
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POLITICIAL PARTICIPATION
(BESIDES VOTING)
Protests: People with high political
efficacy are more likely to use their right
to petition
Civil Disobedience: People with high
political efficacy may voice displeasure
with the status quo by knowingly violating
unjust laws.
Mobilization: People with high political
efficacy are more likely to organize voters
Campaigning: People with high political
efficacy are more likely to donate money
and/or volunteer on campaigns.
Running for Office: People with high
political efficacy may seek change by
running for political positions.
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Measuring Public Opinion: Polling
Straw Poll- an unofficial vote which is taken to
discover what people think about an idea or
problem or how they intend to vote in an election.
Not accurate or dependable.
Scientific Poll- an official poll that contains a randomized
set of representative participants. Questions have
neutral
wording and order. The goal of a Scientific Poll is
accuracy.
Push Poll: a purposefully inaccurate poll
designed to get voters to think in a certain
way by offering suggestive wording of
questions.
Exit Poll: a type of Straw poll conducted
outside of a voting location. Pollsters ask
voters who they chose. The sample size is often too
small to draw accurate conclusions.
***Majority of Polls Conducted Via Telephone***
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