Chapter 6

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Demography
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Terms in this set (32)
Demography
The science of population changes.
Census
A valuable tool for understanding population changes- required every 10 years.

2010 Census (1:35)
Political Culture
An overall set of values widely shared within a society.
Reapportionment
The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

Redistricting is done by state legislatures.
Political Socialization:
the process through which an individual acquires his or her political orientation
The Family
Time & emotional commitment
Political leanings of children often mirror their parent's leanings
The Mass Media
Generation gap in TV news viewing
School / Education
Used by government to socialize the young into the culture and government
The following increase the chance that someone will vote
Higher income
Older
Well educated
White (sort of)
Northerner
Union member
Government employee
Random Sampling
The key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers; operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample
-Representative SampleDraws from all groupsSampling ErrorThe level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll, =/-3%Role of Polls in American DemocracyHelp politicians figure out public preferences. Exit Polls- Wording of question makes a difference. Polls reflect the policy agenda—problems the people inside and outside of government believe must be addressed.Exit Polls-used by the media to predict election day winners.What Polls Reveal About Americans' Political InformationAmericans don't know much about politics. Americans may know their basic beliefs, but not how that affects policies of the government.The Decline of Trust in GovernmentNow only about 25% of the public trust the government most of the time or always.Political Ideology:A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purposeThe Republican Party CoalitionRural voters/farmers White males Business owners Conservative Christians College EducatedDemocratic CoalitionUrban dwellers Union members Hispanics and African Americans High School Diploma Advanced DegreeThe Gender GapWomen vote for the Democratic candidates at higher rates than Republican candidates.Liberals:More domestic spending Pro-choice Favor affirmative action Favor progressive taxation Pro gay marriageConservatives:More military spending Pro-life Oppose affirmative action Keep taxes low Support traditional marriagePolitical Participation:All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue.Conventional ParticipationVoting in elections Working in campaigns / running for office Contacting elected officialsProtestA form of political participation designed to achieve policy changes through dramatic and unconventional tactics.Civil disobedienceA form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences.Gender gapis the difference between women and men as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes.Political culturean overall set of values widely shared within a societyPolitical socializationthe process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinionsPolitical efficacyThe belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a differencedescriptive representationthe idea that an elected body should mirror demographically the population it representslinked fateA theory of group identification that describes ways in which individuals tie their own life chances to those of a group