Flashcards on Political Science

Q: public opinion

citizens\' attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events

Q: values (or beliefs)

basic principles that shape a person\'s opinions about political issues and events

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public opinion

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citizens' attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events

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values (or beliefs)

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basic principles that shape a person's opinions about political issues and events

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political ideology

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a cohesive set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy about the role of government

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attitude (or opinion)

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a specific preference on a particular issue

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political socialization

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the induction of individuals into the political culture; learning the underlying beliefs and values on which the political system is based

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agencies of socialization

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social institutions, including families and schools, that help to shape individuals' basic political beliefs and values

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gender gap

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a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men

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liberal

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today this term refers to those who generally support social and political reform; extensive governmental intervention in the economy; the expansion of federal social services; more vigorous efforts on behalf of the poor, minorities, and women; and greater concern for consumers and the environment

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conservative

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today this term refers to those who generally support the social and economic status quo and are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae and economic arrangements. Conservatives believe that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens' freedom

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political efficacy

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the ability to influence government and politics

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marketplace of ideas

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the public forum in which beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete

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public-opinion polls

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scientific instruments for measuring public opinion

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sample

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a small group selected by researchers to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population

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probability sampling

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a method used by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent

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random digit dialing

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a polling method in which respondents are selected at random from a list of ten-digit telephone numbers, with every effort made to avoid bias in the construction of the sample

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sampling error

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polling error that arises based on small size of the sample

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selection bias

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polling error that arises when the sample is not representative of the population being studied, which creates errors in overrepresenting or underrepresenting some opinions

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measurement error

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failure to identify the true distribution of opinion within a population because of errors such as ambiguous or poorly worded questions

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push polling

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a polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondent's answer

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salient interests

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attitudes and views that are especially important to the individual holding them

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illusion of saliency

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the impression conveyed by polls that something is important to the public when actually it is not

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bandwagon effect

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a shift in electoral support to the candidate whose public opinion polls report as the front-runner

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sound bites

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short snippets of information aimed at dramatizing a story rather than explaining is substantive meaning

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equal time rule

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the requirement that broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public

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right of rebuttal

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a Federal Communications Commission regulation giving individuals the right to have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on a radio or television broadcast

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fairness doctrine

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a Federal Communications Commission requirement for broadcasters who air programs on controversial issues to provide time for opposing views. The FCC ceased enforcing this doctrine in 1985

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agenda setting

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the power of the media to bring public attention to particular issues and problems

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framing

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the power of the media to influence how events and issues are interpreted

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priming

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process of preparing the public to take a particular view of an event or political actor

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political participation

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political activities, such as voting, contacting political officials, volunteering for a campaign, or participating in a protest, whose purpose is to influence government

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lobbying

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a strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature

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public relations

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an attempt, usually through the use of paid consultants, to establish a favorable relationship with the public and influence its political opinions

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litigation

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a lawsuit or legal proceeding; as a form of political participation, an attempt to seek relief in a court of law

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protest

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participation that involves assembling crowds to confront a government or other official organization

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suffrage

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the right to vote; also called franchise

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poll tax

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a state-imposed tax on voters as a prerequisite for registration. Poll taxes were rendered unconstitutional in national elections by the 24th Amendment, and is state elections by the Supreme Court in 1966

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turnout

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the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote

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socioeconomic status

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status in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige

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civil engagement

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a sense of concern among members of the political community about public, social, and political life, expressed through participation in social and political organizations

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mobilization

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the process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity

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midterm elections

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congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called off-year elections

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primary elections

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elections held to select a party's candidate for the general election

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closed primary

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a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates, but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to primary day

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open primary

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a primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election

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referendum

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the practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection

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recall

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procedure to allow voters an opportunity to remove state officials from office before their terms expire

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majority system

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a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate must receive a majority of all the votes cast in the relevant district

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plurality system

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a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of the cast votes

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proportional representation

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a multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote

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redistricting

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the process of redrawing election districts and redistributing legislative representatives. This happens every ten years to reflect shifts in population or in response to legal challenges in existing districts

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gerrymandering

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apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party

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benign gerrymandering

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attempts to draw district boundaries so as to create districts made up primarily of disadvantaged or underrepresented minorities

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majority-minority district

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a gerrymandering voting district that improves the chances of minority candidates by making selected minority groups the majority within the district

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electoral college

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the presidential electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president

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coattail effect

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the result of voters casting their ballot for president or governor and "automatically" voting for the remainder of the party's ticket

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campaign

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an effort by political candidates and their supporters to win the backing of donors, political activists, and voters in their quest for political office

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incumbent

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a candidate running for reelection to a position that he or she already holds

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caucus (political)

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a normally closed meeting of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters

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open caucus

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a presidential nominating caucus open to anyone who wishes to attend

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closed caucus

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a presidential nominating caucus open only to registered party members

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winner-takes-all system

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a system in which all of a state's presidential nominating delegates are awarded to the candidate who wins the most votes, while runners-up receive no delegates

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platform

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a party document, written at a national convention, that contains party philosophy, principles, and positions on issues

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delegates

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political activists selected to vote at a party's national convention

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superdelegate

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a convention delegate position, in Democratic conventions, reserved for party officials

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spot advertisement

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a 15, 30 or 60-second television campaign commercial that permits a candidate's message to be delivered to a target audience

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town meeting

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a media format in which candidates meet with ordinary citizens. Allows candidates to deliver messages without the presence of journalists or commentators

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prospective voting

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voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate

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retrospective voting

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voting based on the past performance of a candidate

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political action committee (PAC)

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a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

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527 committees

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nonprofit independent groups that receive and distribute funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of the candidates. Named after Section 527 of the IRS Code, which defines and provides tax-exempt status for nonprofit advocacy groups

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501c(4) committees

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nonprofit groups that also engage in issue advocacy. Under Section 501c(4) of the federal tax code such a group may spend up to half its revenue for political purposes

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The term public opinion is used to describe ____

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the beliefs and attitudes that people have about issues

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Variables such as income, education, race, gender, and ethnicity _____

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often create differences of political opinion in America

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Which of the following is an agency of socialization?

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the family, social groups, and education

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The process by which Americans learn political beliefs and values is called _____

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political socialization

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When men and women respond differently to issues of public policy, they are demonstrating an example of ______

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the gender gap

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Members of a social group often have similar political beliefs because ________

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groups frequently endeavor to structure their member's political views through educational programs, meeting, rallies, and other activities individuals may consciously or unconsciously adapt their views to those of the groups with which they identify they share objective political interests

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A politician who opposes abortions, government regulation of businesses, and gay rights legislation would be best described as a ________

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conservative

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The fact that the public is inattentive to politics and mist frequently rely on informational shortcuts has which of the following effects on American democracy?

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weakens it by making it easier for various institutions and political actors to manipulate the political process

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Which of the following is (are) not an important external influence on how political opinions are formed?

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the Constitution

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Which of the following is the term used in public-opinion polling to denote the small group representing the opinions of the whole population?

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sample

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A poll that includes many poorly worded or ambiguous questions has a high degree of _____

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measurement error

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A push poll is a poll in which _________

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the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion rather than measure the respondent's opinion

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When politicians, pollsters, journalists, or social scientists assume something is important to the public when in fact it is not, they are creating _____

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an illusion of saliency

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A familiar polling problem is the "bandwagon effect", which occurs when ______

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polling results influence people to support the candidate marked as the probable victor in a campaign

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Which of the following statements best characterizes the relationship between public opinion and public policy in the United States?

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They generally coincide but sometimes do not because the American system of government includes many arrangements, such as an appointed judiciary, that can produce policy decisions that may run contrary to prevailing popular sentiment

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Which of the following statements is not true about old-fashioned newspapers?

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They are the read on a daily basis by almost all Americans

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In general, FCC regulations apply only to _______

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over-the-air broadcasts media

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The now defunct requirement that broadcasters provide time for opposing views when they air programs on controversial issues was called ______

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the fairness doctrine

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The nationalization of the news has been influenced by which of the following trends in ownership of the media?

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the wave of mergers and consolidation following the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act

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Which of the following best describes national news in the United States?

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nationalized and centralized

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Which of the following can be considered an example of a news enclave?

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Web blogs

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Which of the following have an impact on the nature of media coverage of politics?

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reporters, political actors, and news consumers

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The newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst was responsible for encouraging U.S. involvement in which war?

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the Spanish-American War

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Which of the following is not an explanation for why media coverage may be relatively uninfluenced by the predominantly liberal political preferences of journalists?

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Journalists always cover all government officials - regardless of their partisanship in a favorable light

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Which of the following is a strategy available to poor people to increase their coverage by the news media?

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protest

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The media's powers to determine what becomes a part of political discussion and to shape how political events are interpreted are known as ______

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agenda setting and framing

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Media coverage of election campaigns typically focuses on which of the following?

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the "horse race" (that is, who is ahead and how much)

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Which of the following has not been a consequence of the emergence of adversarial (or "attack") journalism?

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it has led the media to adopt a more positive view of politicians and political issues

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Which of the following best describes the media's role in the Watergate affair?

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They played a central role in President Nixon's decision to resign from the presidency by revealing the abuses of power to the public

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The declining power of party organizations has had which of the following effects on the power of the media in the United States?

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made the media more powerful because politicians must now rely on the media to mobilize votes

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What is the most common form of political participation?

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voting

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Which of the following is not a form of political participation?

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watching the news on television

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Which of the following best describes the electorate in the United States before the 1820s?

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landowning white males over the age of 21

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Women won the right to vote in ____ with the adoption of the ____ Amendment

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1920; 19th

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Civic education takes place during ____

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elementary school, high school, election campaigns

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Since 1892, voter turnout in presidential election years has ______

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been consistently higher than in years when only congressional and local elections are held

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Which of the following is not an indicator of the ongoing significance of the gender issue in American politics?

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the decrease in the number of women holding public office

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Which of the following statements most accurately characterizes the rates of political participation among different age groups?

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older people have much higher rates of participation than young people

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Americans who do not vote are more likely to be _____ than the population as a whole.

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wealthy, white, better educated

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A sense of concern among members of a political community about public, social, and political life, expressed through participation in social and political organizations, is referred to as ______

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civic engagement

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Which of the following are examples of obstacles to political participation for African Americans?

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poll taxes and white primaries

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Which of the following factors is not currently an obstacle to voting in the United States?

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literacy tests

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After passage of the Motor Vehicle Act in 1993, participation in the 1996 elections ______

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declined somewhat

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Of all the factors explaining political participation, which is the most important?

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the mobilization of people by political institutions

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The "secession of the rich" refers to _______

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the growing tendency of many Americans not to participate in broad public institutions such as public education

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A closed primary is a primary election in which _____

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only registered members of the party may vote

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Beginning with the 1993 case Shaw vs. Reno, the Supreme Court has ______

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generally rejected efforts to create majority-minority districts and asserted that districting based exclusively on race is unlawful

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The neutral ballot made it possible for voters to _____

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vote for a split ticket

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If a state has ten members in the U.S. House of Representatives, how many electoral votes does that state have?

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twelve

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The average amount of money spent by House incumbents to secure reelection has ______

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increased at a greater rate than the average amount spent by challengers since 1980

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A political party meeting to nominate a presidential candidate that is open only to registered party members is called _____

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a closed caucus

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The unit rule was _______

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a guideline that said all members of a state's delegation should vote for the candidate favored by the majority of the state's delegates at party conventions

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What was the most fundamental change in national conventions in the 20th century?

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they no longer nominate presidential candidates

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A committee of supporters that is organized to fun-raise and draw attention to a potential presidential candidate is typically referred to as _______

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an exploratory committee

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Which of the following is not an important communication technique for contemporary political campaigns?

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gerrymandering

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Which of the following is not a factor that influences voters' decisions?

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the electoral system used to determine the winner

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Partisan loyalty ______

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is often handed down from parents to children

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When a voter decides which candidate to vote for based on past performance, the voter is engaged in ______

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retrospective voting

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In Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court ruled that ______

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the right of individuals to spend their own money to campaign is constitutionally protected

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In 2002, federal campaign finance legislation crafted by John McCain and Russell Feingold sought to ______

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ban soft money by prohibiting national parties from soliciting and receiving contributions from corporations, unions, or individuals

Flashcards on Political Science

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