POLITICAL BELIEFS AND POLITICAL BEHAVIORS
AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC VALUES Although the United States is a diverse society, it is united under a common political culture, or common set of beliefs and attitudes about government and politics. This political culture translates into a consensus of basic concepts that support democracy. Democracy is not guaranteed; therefore the American people must continue to practice these concepts. ♦ majority rule/minority rights: Although democracy is based upon majority rule, minority rights must be guaranteed.
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equality: Equality of every individual before the law and in the political process.
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private property: Ownership of property is protected by law and supported by the capitalist system.
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individual freedoms: Guarantees of civil liberties and protections of infringements upon them.
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compromise: Allows for the combining of different interests and opinions to form public policy to best benefit society.
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limited government: Powers of government are restricted in a democracy by the will of the people and the law.
POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION Political socialization is the process by which citizens acquire a sense of political identity. Socialization is a complex process that begins early in childhood and continues throughout a person's life. It allows citizens to become aware of politics, learn political facts, and form political values and opinions. Although the paths to political awareness, knowledge, and values differ, people are exposed to a combination of influences that shape their political identities and opinions:
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Family and home influences often help shape political party identification. It is strongest when both parents identify with the same political party.
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Schools teach patriotism, basic governmental functions and structure, and encourage political participation.
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Group affiliations (interest groups, labor unions, professional organizations) provide common bonds between people which may be expressed through the group or its activities.
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Demographic factors (occupation, race, gender, age, religion, region of country, income, education, ethnicity).
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Mass media inform the public about issues and help set the political and public agendas.
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Opinion leaders, those individuals held in great respect because of their position, expertise, or personality, may informally and unintentionally exercise influence.
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Events may instill positive or negative attitudes. For example, the Watergate scandal created a mistrust of government.
PUBLIC OPINION Public opinion is a collection of shared attitudes of many different people in matters relating to politics, public issues, or the making of public policy. It is shaped by people's political culture and political socialization. Public opinion can be analyzed according to distribution (physical shape of responses when graphed), intensity (how strongly the opinions are held), and stability (how much the opinion changes over time). A consensus occurs when there is general agreement on an issue. Public opinion that is strongly divided between two very different views is a divisive opinion. Measuring Public Opinion
The measurement of public opinion is a complex process often conveying unreliable results. Elections, interest groups, the media, and personal contacts may signal public opinion on certain issues; however, the most reliable measure of public opinion is the public opinion poll. Businesses, governments, political candidates, and interest groups use polls. Early polling in the United States involved the use of straw polls, asking the same question of a large number of people.
They were unreliable because they did not necessarily include a cross-section of the general population of the United States. The most famous mishap occurred in 1936 when the Literary Digest mailed postcards to more than 10 million people concerning the