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Cha.4 American Political Attitudes and Participation - Coggle Diagram
Cha.4 American Political Attitudes and Participation
Intro
Are You Liberal or Conservative?
Liberal
Government power to regulate the economy and bring about justice and equality of opportunity.
Poor individual, class, country ^^
Conservative
Individuals are primarily accountable for their own well being.
Government's responsibility is to see that they have the freedom to pursue their dreams.
No big government
Scandals and Voter Apathy
Since the mid-1960s,frustrated
President Lyndon Johnson: lie the public about the progress of the Vietnam war
President Richard Nixon: Watergate scandal
President Ronald Reagan:Iran-Contra affair
President Bill Clinton:obstructing evidence in a civil suit
Why long-lasting effects?
Political influence of the media
Reports emphasizes sensational, high interest stories
Too high expectation
Times are good.
4c. Measuring Public Opinion
George Gallup: Father of American polling
Steps in gathering accurate statistics
Objectively worded questions
Randomly selected samples
Cost efficient contacting respondent
Waffling, not true representing
Change→Difficult
Margin or error→never completely accurate
4d. Participating in Government
Who Participates and Why?
Characteristics
Education:high
Age:middle-aged
Racial and Ethnic Groups: whites
Gender:famale ↑
Declining Voter Turnout
Since the beginning of the 20th century
Factors
Side A
Alienation among voters
Scandals→cynicism: self-efficacy and voting↓
Side B
Confidence→reluctant to change
Other political activities
4e. Voting: A Forgotten Privilege?
Voter attitudes
Institutional barriers
Difficulty of Registration: To avoid cheat
(Some day voting rates ↑)
Difficulty of Absentee Voting:
In own precinct\ Stringent absentee ballot
The Number of Offices to Elect←federalism
Weekday Voting
Weak Political Parties
The Motor-Voter Law(1993)
Requires states to allow people to register to vote when applying for a driver's license
Comments
1995 ^^ 1996 president election not
Estimate good effect
Increase voter fraud
Expensive for the states
Register more inner-city Democrats