Unit 2Political Beliefs and Behavior

American Political Culture

1Reference: All photos are copied from Google Images

Focus Questions

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Who Governs? 1. Do Americans trust their government?

2.Why do we accept great difference in wealth and income?

To What Ends? 1. Why does our government behave differently than governments in countries with similar constitutions?

Learning Objectives

1. Define what scholars mean by political culture, and list some of the dominate aspects of political culture in the United States.

2. Discuss how American citizens compare with those of other countries in their political attitudes.

3. List the contributions to United States political culture made by the Revolution, by the nation’s religious heritage, and by the family. Explain the apparent absence of class consciousness in the U.S.

4. Define internal and external political efficacy, and explain how the level of each of these has varied over the past generations.

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Political Culture

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A distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political

and economic life ought to be carried out

For example, Americans generally believe more strongly in

political than in economic equality

Elements of the American View of the Political System

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Liberty–rights

Equality–equal vote; equal chance to participate and succeed

Democracy–government is accountable to the people

Civic duty–take community affairs seriously and become involved

when possible

Individual responsibility – individuals responsible for their own actions

and well-being

Questions About the U.S. Political Culture

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1. How do we know people share these beliefs?

2. How do we explain behavior inconsistent with these beliefs?

3. Why is there so much political conflict in U.S. history

4. Is equal opportunity the same is equal ability?

Beliefs about the Economy

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Americans support free enterprise, but support some limits on marketplace freedom

Americans believe in equality of opportunity but not equality of result

Americans have a widely shared commitment to economic individualism

Civic Duty and Competence

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Civic duty: a belief that one has an obligation to

participate in civic and political affairs

Civic competence: a belief that one can affect

government policies

Comparing America with other Nations

AMERICANS SWEDES JAPANESE

Tend to assert rights Defer government to experts and specialists

Value good relations with colleagues

Emphasize individualism, competition, equality, following rules, treating others fairly, but impersonally

Believe in what is best more than what people want

Emphasize group decisions and social harmony

Acknowledge flaws, very proud of their nationality, willing to fight for their country

Value equality as much as (or more than) liberty

Respect hierarchy

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Americans are highly religious compared to EuropeansReligious beliefs have played an important role in American politicsBoth liberals and conservatives have and do use the pulpit to promote political change

Attitudes Towards Economic Equality

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Sources of Political Culture

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1. Historical Roots2. Legal-Sociological Factors3. The Culture War4. Mistrust of Government5. Political Efficacy6. Political tolerance

.

Historical Roots

1. American Revolution was over liberty – asserting rights2. Constitution, thought, dealt with other issues as well; it was an

effort to reconcile personal liberty with social control3. Adversarial culture -due to distrust of authority and a belief that

human nature is depraved4. Federalist – Jeffersonian transition in 1800 – reconciling the

need and the suspicion of government. Legitimated the role of the opposition party, demonstrating that liberty and political change can co-exist

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Legal-Sociological Factors

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1. Widespread (not universal) participation permitted by Constitution

2. Absence of an established national religion

a. Religious diversity a source of cleavage

b. Absence of established religion has facilitated the absence of political orthodoxy

c. Puritan heritage (dominant tradition) stress on personal achievement: (1) Work

(2) Save money(3) Obey secular law(4) Do good works(5) Embrace "Protestant ethic" (work ethic)

Legal-Sociological FactorsContinued….

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d. Miniature political systems produced by churches' congregational organization, so civic and political skills could develop

3. Family instills the ways we think about world and politics

a. Greater freedom of children and equality among family members leads to belief in rights and acceptance of diverse views in decision-making

4. High degree of class consciousness absent

a. Most people consider themselves middle class

b. Even unemployed do not oppose management

c. Message of Horatio Alger stories is still popular

The Culture War1. Two cultural classes in America battle over values

2. Culture war differs from political disputes in three ways:

a. Money is not at stake

b. Compromises are almost impossible

c. Conflict is more profound

3. Culture conflict animated by deep differences in people's beliefs about private and public morality

4. Culture war about what kind of country we ought to live in

5. Simplify by identifying two camps

a. Orthodox: morality more important than self-expression with fixed rules from God(Conservative Protestants)

b. Progressive: personal freedom more important than tradition with changing rules based on circumstances of modern life (Liberal Protestants)

Mistrust of Government

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There is evidence that mistrust has increased since the late 1950s

Causes: Watergate, the Vietnam War and Clinton impeachment

Public confidence is likely flow with circumstances

No dramatic change in confidence in Americans

Source: Wilson, J. & Dilulio, J. American Government. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York: 2008.

Political Efficacy

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A. Definition: citizen's capacity to understand and influence political events

B. Parts

1. Internal efficacy

a. Confidence in one's ability to understand and influence events

b. About the same as in 1950s

2. External efficacy

a. Belief that system will respond to citizens

b. Not shaped by particular events

c. Declined steadily through 1960s and 1970s

d. Government becoming too big to respond to individual

C. Comparison: efficacy still much higher than Europeans'

D. Conclusion: Americans today may not be more alienated but simply more realistic

Political Tolerance

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A. Crucial to democratic politics

1. Free discussion of ideas 2. Select rulers without oppression

B. Levels of American political tolerance

1. Most Americans assent in abstract but would deny rights in concrete cases 2. Most are willing to allow expression by those with whom they disagree 3. Becoming more tolerant in recent decades

C. Question: How do very unpopular groups survive?

1. Most people do not act on beliefs 2. Officeholders and activists more tolerant than general public 3. Usually no consensus exists on whom to persecute 4. Courts are sufficiently insulated from public opinion to enforce protection

D. Conclusions 1. Political liberty cannot be taken for granted 2. No group should pretend it is always more tolerant than another

Focus Questions

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Who Governs? 1. How does public opinion in America vary by race, gender, and other differences?2.What is political Ideology, and how does it affect political behavior and public policy

To What Ends?1.What role did the Framers of the Constitution think public opinion should play in American democracy?2.When, if ever, should public policies mirror majority opinion?

Learning Objectives

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1. List the sources of our political attitudes and indicate which are the most important.

1. Explain why there are crosscutting cleavages between liberals and conservatives in this country. Assess the significance of race, ethnicity, and gender in explaining political attitudes.

1. Define political ideology and give reasons why most Americans do not think ideologically. Summarize the liberal and conservative positions on the economy, civil rights, and political conduct.

1. Discuss the new class theory as an explanation for changes in attitudes. Analyze why this change is causing strain in the political party system.

The Founding Fathers Thoughts on Public Opinion

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“to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessing of Liberty.” – Preamble to the Constitution

1. They did not try to create a government that would do from day to day what the people wanted.

2. The created a government for the purpose of achieving certain goals.

2. They included Federalism, Separation of Powers, and Checks and Balances to keep a check on public opinion.

2. They knew that a nation as large and diverse as the United States that the public would be in small factions holding a variety of opinions; that the struggle among these many opinions would protect liberty.

What is Public Opinion?

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How people think and feel about particular things.

How Opinions Differ

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Opinion saliency – care more about certain issues than other peopleOpinion stability – opinions on an issue is pretty steady, while others might be more volatileOpinion-policy congruence – some public opinions are in sync with the government, while others are not in sync

Political Socialization

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The process by which background traits influence one’s political views.

We become political socialized by:

FamilyReligion

The Gender GapSchooling and Information

Cleavages in Public Opinion

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Social Class

Race &

Ethnicity

Region

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Political IdeologyPolitical ideology - A more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue.

Political Scientists measure a person’s political ideology by:

- How frequently someone identifies themselves as a liberal or a conservative

- Whether their policy preferences are consistent over time, or are based on consistent principles

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Liberalism and Conservatism

Issue Liberalism Conservatism

Civil Rights Favors strong federal action to desegregate schools and increase hiring opportunities for minorities

Does not favor strong federal action to desegregate schools and increase hiring opportunities for minorities

Economy Favors government efforts to ensure everyone has a job

Does not favor government efforts to ensure everyone has a job

Political Conduct Favors tolerance toward protest demonstrations, legalizing marijuana, and protecting the rights of the accused

Does not favor tolerance toward protest demonstrations, legalizing marijuana, or protecting the rights of the accused

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People Mix Liberal and Conservative Positions

1. Pure Liberals: Liberal on both economic and personal conduct issues

2. Pure Conservatives: Conservative on both economic and personal conduct issues

3. Libertarians: Conservative on economic issues and, liberal on personal conduct issues

4. Populists: Liberal on economic issues, conservative on personal conduct issues.

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Political Elites

Persons with a disproportionate share of political power.Elites raise and frame political issues.Elites state the norms by which issues should be settled.

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Focus Questions

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Who Governs?1. Who votes, who doesn’t?

2.Why do some people participate in politics at a higher rates than others?

To What Ends? 1. How did the Framers of the Constitution think average citizens should participate in American’s representative democracy?

2.Should today’s college-age citizens participate more in politics?

Learning Objectives

1. Explain why the text believes that the description, the analysis, and many of

the proposed remedies for low voter turnout rates in the United States are primarily off.

2. Compare the way that turnout statistics are tabulated for the United States and for other countries, and explain the significance of these differences.

3. Describe how control of the elections has shifted from the states to the federal government, and explain what effect this shift has had on blacks, women, and youth.

4. State both sides of the debate over whether voter turnout has declined over the past century, and describe those factors that tend to hold down voter turnout in the United States.

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Voting

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Voting-age population – citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement.

Registered voters – people who are registered to vote.

What is the problem with low voter turnout?

A relatively low percentage of the voting-age population is registered to vote.

Approximately 67% of eligible Americans are registered to vote.

How Easy is it to Register to Vote?

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Motor-voter law of 1993 took effect in 1995-increased registration throughout the country

Trends in Voting

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Voting by Age

35Source: U.S. Census

Education and Voting

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Voting By Race

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The Rise of the American ElectorateFrom State To Federal Control

1. Initially, states decided who could vote for which offices

2. This led to wide variation in federal elections

3. Congress has since reduced state prerogatives

a . 1842 law: House members elected by district

b. Suffrage to women

c. Suffrage to blacks

d. Suffrage to eighteen- to twenty-year-olds

e. Direct popular election of U.S. senators

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Black Voting Rights

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1. Fifteenth Amendment devastated by Supreme Court as not conferring a right to vote

2. Southern states then used evasive stratagems

(a) Literacy test

(b) Poll tax

(c) White primaries

(d) Grandfather clauses

(e) Intimidation of black voters

3. Major change with 1965 Voting Rights Act; black vote increases

Women and YouthVoting

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Women's voting rights

a. Several western states permitted women to vote by 1915

b. Nineteenth Amendment ratified 1920

c. No dramatic changes in outcomes

Youth vote

a. Voting Rights Act of 1970

b. Twenty-sixth Amendment ratified 1971

c. Lower turnout; no particular party

*** National standards now govern most aspects of voter eligibility

***Twenty-third Amendment ratified 1961, gave District of Columbia residents the right to vote in presidential elections

Who Votes? Who Votes? Six Forms of ParticipationSix Forms of Participation

(Verba and Nie)(Verba and Nie)

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In-activesIn-actives ActivistsActivists VotingSpecialists

VotingSpecialists

• 22% of population• Rarely vote• Do not get

involved in organizations

• Probably do not even talk about politics

• Typically have little education, have low incomes, and are young

• 11% of population• Participate in all

forms of politics• Tend to be highly

educated• High income

earners• Mostly middle-aged

rather than young or old

• People who vote but do little else

• Limited education / income

• Typically substantially older than the average person

Six Forms of ParticipationSix Forms of Participation

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CampaignersCampaigners CommunalistsCommunalists Parochial Participants

Parochial Participants

• Vote but also like to get involved in campaign activities

• Better educated than the average voters

• Distinguished by their interest in the conflicts, passions, and struggle of politics

• Clearly identified with one political party

• Willingness to take strong positions

• Similar to campaigners in social background but with different temperament

• Do not like the conflict and tension of partisan campaigns

• Tend to focus more on community activities / non-partisan

• Focused more on local issues

• Do not vote• Stay out of

election campaigns and civic associations

• Willing to contact local officials about specific, often personal problems

Voting Participation

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1. Those with schooling, or political information, more likely to vote

2. Churchgoers vote more

3. Men and women vote same rate

4. Race – Blacks participate less the whites

5. Level of trust in government? Studies show no correlation between distrust and not voting

6. Difficulty of registering - As turnout has declined, registration barriers have been lowered

Voting Participation Cont…..

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7. Several small factors decrease turnout

a. More youths, blacks, and other minorities in population, pushing down percent registered

b. Decreasing effectiveness of parties in mobilizing voters

c. Remaining impediments to registration

d. Voting compulsory in other nations

e. Possible feeling that elections do not matter

8. Democrats, Republicans fight over solutions

a . No one really knows who would be helped by increased turnout

b. Nonvoters tend to be poor, minority, or uneducated

c. But an increasing percentage of college graduates are also not voting

d. Hard to be sure that turnout efforts produce gains for either party: Jesse Jackson in 1984 increased registration of southern whites even more than southern blacks

The Meaning of Participation Rates

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1 . Americans vote less, but participate more

a. Other forms of activity becoming more common

b. Some forms more common here than in other countries

2. Americans elect more officials and have more elections

3. U.S. turnout rates heavily skewed to higher status persons