Political Socialization

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Political Socialization

• Unit 3
• AP Government

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Many people Many opinions Many viewpoints
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Political Ideology

• What we believe and why
• Political Ideology Definitions
• A comprehensive, integrated set of views about
  government and politics
• A coherent set of ideas of on how people should
  live together
• A plan of action for applying these ideas

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1. Our Ideology Comes from OurPolitical Culture

• Political Culture is the widely shared beliefs,
  values and norms concerning the relationship of
  citizens to government and to one another.
• Name some of the beliefs shared by most
  Americans.

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Did you name these?

• Liberty
• Democracy
• Political Equality
• Individualism
• Justice and the Rule of Law
• Capitalism and Free Enterprise
• Nationalism, optimism, and idealism
• The American Dream

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2. Our Ideology Comes from our Political
Socialization

• Political Socialization
• The process by which we are taught and develop
  our individual and collective political beliefs
• A lifelong process by which people form their
  ideas about politics and acquire political
  values. The family, educational system, peer
  groups, and the mass media all play a role. While
  family and school are important early in life,
  what our peers think and what we read in the
  newspaper and see on television have more
  influence on our political attitudes as adults.
• Name some factors that influence our Political
  Socialization

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Did you name these?

• Family
• Peers
• Race and ethnic differences
• Religious differences
• Gender
• Social and economic differences (SES)
• Sectional/regional differences
• Education Level
• Age
• Can be linked to Historical events (e.g., Pearl
  Harbor, Vietnam, Watergate, September 11 and War
  on Terror)
• Media influences

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Political ID Card

• Place yourself on the classic spectrum!
• Make an ID Card that represents YOU!
• Youll need
• 1-3 3x5 index card
• Creativity!!

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Family

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Family

• Our first political ideas are shaped within the
  family.
• Parents seldom talk politics with their young
  children directly, but casual remarks made around
  the dinner table or while helping with homework
  can have an impact.
• Family tradition is particularly a factor in
  party identification, as indicated by the phrases
  lifelong Republican and lifelong Democrat.
• The family may be losing its power as an agent of
  socialization, however, as institutions take over
  more of child care and parents perform less of it.

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Compare the Childs Party with the Parents Party
Child's party Parent Democrat Parent Independent Parent Republican
Democrat 66 29 13
Independent 27 53 36
Republican 7 17 51
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Peers

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Peers

• Although peer pressure certainly affects
  teenagers' lifestyles, it is less evident in
  developing their political values.
• Exceptions are issues that directly affect them,
  such as the Vietnam War during the 1960s.
• Later, if peers are defined in terms of
  occupation, then the group does exert an
  influence on how its members think politically.
• For example, professionals such as teachers or
  bankers often have similar political opinions,
  particularly on matters related to their careers.

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School

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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School

• Children are introduced to elections and voting
  when they choose class officers, and the more
  sophisticated elections in high school and
  college teach the rudiments of campaigning.
• Political facts are learned through courses in
  American history and government, and schools, at
  their best, encourage students to critically
  examine government institutions.
• Schools themselves are involved in politics
  issues such as curriculum reform, funding, and
  government support for private schools often
  spark a debate that involves students, teachers,
  parents, and the larger community.

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Race and Ethnic Differences

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Race and Ethnic Differences

• Self-interest plays a significant role in
  attitudes on racial policies.
• Racial and ethnic minorities tend to favor
  affirmative action programs, designed to equalize
  income, education, professional opportunity, and
  the receipt of government contracts.
• Because such policies make it easier for members
  of minority groups, such as African Americans and
  Hispanics, to get good jobs and become affluent,
  group members naturally support them at a high
  rate.
• Polls taken before and after the verdict in the
  O.J. Simpson criminal trial showed that an
  overwhelming majority of African Americans
  believed that the former football star was
  innocent, while whites felt he was guilty by a
  similar majority.
• These results reflect deep differences between
  the two groups in their perceptions of the
  judicial system and the role of the police in
  society.

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Race and Ethnic Differences

• Supporters defend affirmative action as a way to
  eliminate ongoing racial discrimination, make up
  for historical discrimination, and/or increase
  diversity in businesses and institutions.
• Americans of European, Asian, or Middle Eastern
  descent, by contrast, are much more likely to see
  such programs as reverse discrimination that
  punishes them for their ethnic backgrounds.
• A similar pattern is seen in political party
  affiliation.
• Beginning with the presidency of Franklin
  Roosevelt, African Americans switched their
  allegiance from the Republicans, the party of
  Lincoln, to the Democrats

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Religion

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Religion

• The concept of the separation of church and state
  does not prevent religion from acting as a force
  in American politics.
• Strongly held beliefs affect the stand
  individuals take on issues such as public school
  prayer and state aid to private or parochial
  schools.
• Religion can also determine attitudes on abortion
  and gay and lesbian rights, irrespective of other
  factors.
• It is important to recognize, however, that the
  major religious groups in the United
  StatesProtestant, Catholic, and Jewish as well
  as the growing Islamichave their own liberal and
  conservative wings that frequently oppose each
  other on political issues.

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Gender

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Gender

• Gender gap, a term that refers to the varying
  political opinions men and women hold, is a
  recent addition to the American political
  lexicon.
• Unmarried women hold political views distinct
  from those of men and married women, views that
  lead them to support the Democratic party at a
  disproportionate rate.
• Studies indicate that more women than men approve
  of gun control, want stronger environmental laws,
  oppose the death penalty, and support spending on
  social programs.
• These compassion issues are usually identified
  with the Democratic party.

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SES

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Social/Economic Differences (SES) and Education
Level

• Americans generally favor a limited government
  and emphasize the ability of everyone to succeed
  through hard work.
• Low-income Americans tend to endorse a stronger
  economic role for the federal government than do
  wealthier Americans, particularly by supporting
  programs such as welfare and increases in the
  minimum wage.

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SES/Education Level

• Wealthier Americans are the ones who mostly pay
  for social programs, and they naturally want to
  hold down their tax burden.
• Nevertheless, even low-income Americans are less
  likely to consider redistribution of wealth a
  valid governmental task than are adults
  socialized in other industrialized countries
  (such as European nations).
• This belief in individual responsibility may
  overcome a worker's self-interest in endorsing
  large social programs.

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Region

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Region

• The region of the country a person lives in can
  affect political attitudes.
• The Southern states tend to support a strong
  defense policy, a preference reinforced by the
  presence of many military installations in the
  region.
• The South's traditional conservatism was
  recognized in Richard Nixon's so-called Southern
  strategy, which began the process of
  strengthening the Republican party in the region.
  
• Moreover, issues that are vital in one particular
  region generate little interest in
  othersagricultural price supports in the Midwest
  or water rights and access to public lands in the
  West, for example.
• Questions about Social Security and Medicare have
  an added importance in the Sunbelt states with
  their high percentage of older adults.

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Age

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Age

• Think of the different views between a 25 year
  old father and a 70 year old grandfather!
• Elderly tend to oppose increases in public school
  spending while supporting Social Security
  Medicare increases.
• Strong political lobby in the AARP
• While some younger people concerned that Social
  Security wont be around when they retire, favor
  changes, public school financing, etc. many are
  apathetic and disconnected

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Events

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Events

• Events like Watergate, the Vietnam War,
  Iran/Contra affair, Whitewater, and assorted
  corruption within Washington has led to a
  distrust of those in Washington among some age
  groups.

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Media

• What do we mean???
• How important??

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Media Influences

• Much of our political information comes from the
  mass media newspapers, magazines, radio, and
  television.
• The amount of time the average American family
  watches TV makes it the dominant information
  source.
• TV not only helps shape public opinion by
  providing news and analysis, but also its
  entertainment programming addresses important
  contemporary issues that are in the political
  arena, such as drug use, abortion, and crime.

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Much more to come in Unit 3!