Political Ideologies and
Political Socialization
Dr. East 9/2014
Take Political Ideology Quizzes
• Ideology = worldview, perspective, way you think about
thinks, system of ideas and ideals… affects what you
think Gov. can and should do
• Quizzes:
– 1) from Pew Research Center http://www.peoplepress.org/typology/quiz/
– 2) from PBS http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2012/quiz/
– 3) if you have time on your own, AFTER SCHOOL take this
one… from Political Compass, read all results page, this is a
much longer quiz and harder to understand (college level vocab)
but potentially more accurate
http://www.politicalcompass.org/test
National
Results
from Pew
Typology
Quiz
•
•
Most people in the
United States agree
to fundamental values
of freedom, equality
of opportunity,
individualism, and
democracy.
They disagree on
almost everything
else!
Cartoon source:
http://blamethe1st.deviantart.com/art/Liberal
s-vs-Conservatives-141861934
Problematic Labels
• Terms originated with Age of
Enlightenment and French
Revolution
– French radicals were called
“liberals”; aristocrats were
“conservatives”
– US first modern country
founded on liberal principles
– Labels of “Conservative”
(“Right” on political spectrum)
and “Liberal” (“Left” on political
spectrum) have changed
meaning many times.
• What has remained stable
are differences between
those who advocate for more
governmental controls and
those who advocate for more
individual choices.
Modern Conservatives
• Tend to want smaller government or less
expansion of government programs
• Reduce dependency on government
• Often believe that individuals and families, and
independent charities should meet human
needs… gov. programs are hard to control and
don’t actually work that well
• Often believe that large gov. programs are
fiscally irresponsible and not truly responsive to
people and society’s long term needs
Modern Liberals
• Often advocate for larger or more
expansive government programs and the
use of federal power to promote economic
stability between groups in the US
populace.
• Tend to support new or progressive
ideals, new kinds of relationships,
individual choices, and large government
backed societal changes (like New Deal
agencies or National Health Insurance)
Subdividing the Conservatives
• Social Conservatives – typically are
those that are more traditional in their
views toward marriage, relationships,
religious practice, and personal
accountability
• Fiscal Conservatives – typically are
those that champion free market
capitalism, lower government taxes, and
less regulation of economy
Modern Political Spectrum
The Spectrum And Representation
Other
Political
Labels
•
Graphic Source:
http://teamrussell4norwich.com/li
bertarian-party-best-ofdemocrat-republican/
Agents of Socialization
•
•
Socialization = process of
learning cultures and
behaviors from those around
you and from your interaction
with the world
Political socialization is how
we came to hold our political
views
Believe it or Not
Last Presidential Election
source: http://blog.bigml.com/2013/09/17/obama-vs-romney-a-closer-look-atvoter-influences/