Citizen beliefs about government are shaped by the intersection of demographics, political culture, and dynamic social change.

• 4.1 - Explain the relationship between core beliefs of U.S. citizens and attitudes about the role of government.

  • Different interpretations of core values affect the relationship between citizens and the federal government and that citizens have with each other:

    • individualism (each person has the ability to shape their life and destiny through the choices they make)

    • equality of opportunity (all people are given an equal chance to succeed)

    • free enterprise (the market determines prices, products, and services)

    • rule of law (every person, event those in power, must follow and is accountable to the same laws that govern all) 

    • limited government

• 4.2 - Explain how cultural factors influence political attitudes and socialization.

  • Political socialization refers to the process by which individuals develop political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors. The following each contribute to this process:

    • family

    • schools

    • peers

    • media

    • social environments (including civic and religious organizations) 

    • geographical region

  • U.S. political culture is defined by its democratic ideals, principles, and core values. 

    • As a result of globalization, U.S. political culture has both influenced and been influenced by the values of other countries.

• 4.3 - Explain how social factors influence political ideology.

  • Generational effects (experiences shared by people of a common age) also contribute to the development of a person's political ideology.

    • Silent Generation

    • Baby Boomers

    • Gen X

    • Millennials  

    • Gen Z

  • Life cycle effects (experiences a person encounters during different life stages) also contribute to the development of a person's political ideology.

• 4.4 - Explain how major political events influence political ideology.

  • Major political events can influence the development of individual political attitudes, which is an example of political socialization. Political socialization, in turn, influences political ideology.

    • Great Depression

    • World War II

    • After WW2 

    • Events that influenced Baby Boomers

    • Events that influenced Millennials `

Public opinion is measured through scientific polling, and the results of public opinion polls influence public policies and institutions.

• 4.5 - Describe the elements of a scientific poll.

  • Public opinion data that can affect elections and policy debates is influenced by different types of scientific polls such as: 

    • Opinion polls (measuring public opinion on various issues)

    • Benchmark polls (creating baseline views of a candidate)

    • Tracking polls (following how views of a candidate change during a campaign) and approval ratings

    • Exit polls (collecting data on why people voted the way they did)

  • Public opinion data that can affect elections and policy debates in influenced by polling methodology. Polling methodology is more precise when it includes:

    • Accurate sampling methods, including calculating a margin of error

      • sample universe

      • random sample

      • weighting

      • focus groups

    • Neutral framing of questions (specific and unbiased wording of questions) and order of questions

    • Accurate reporting (clear reporting and conclusions that can be supported by the data)

• 4.6 - Explain the quality and credibility of claims based on public opinion data.

The relationship between scientific polling and elections and policy debates is affected by the: 

• • • Importance of public opinion as a source of political influence in a given election or policy debate 

    • Reliability and veracity of public opinion data

      • Social Desirability Bias and the Bradley Effect

      • Non-Response Bias

      • Social Media

      • Biased Pollsters

Widely held political ideologies shape policy debates and choices in American policies.

• 4.7 - Explain how ideologies of the two major parties shape policy debates.

  • wedge issues

  • valence issues

  • "off the line" ideological positions

    • libertarian

    • populist

    • Progressive

  • The Democratic Party (D or DEM) platforms generally align more closely to liberal ideological positions. 

  • The Republican Party (R or GOP) platforms generally align more closely to conservative ideological positions.

• 4.8 - Explain how U.S. political culture (e.g., democratic ideals, principles, values) influences the formation, goals, and implementation of public policy over time.

  • Because the U.S. is a democracy with a diverse society, public policies generated at any given time reflect the attitudes and beliefs of citizens who choose to participate in politics at that time, which is majoritarian policy-making. 

  • The balancing dynamic of individual liberty and government efforts to promote stability and order has been reflected in policy debates and their outcomes over time.

• 4.9A - Explain how political ideologies affect the role of government in regulating the marketplace.

  • Liberal ideologies favor more governmental regulation of the marketplace (embedded through Topic 4.9). 

  • Conservative ideologies favor fewer regulations of the marketplace (embedded through Topic 4.9).

  • Libertarian ideologies favor little or no regulation of the marketplace beyond the protection of property rights and voluntary trade (embedded through Topic 4.9).

• 4.9B - Explain how fiscal and monetary policy actions influence economic conditions.

  • Fiscal policy consists of actions taken by Congress and the president to influence economic conditions and includes Keynesian and supply-side positions (see pgs. 457-461).

  • Monetary policy consists of actions taken by the Federal Reserve (the Fed) to influence interest rates which affect broader economic conditions. The Fed is an independent agency which seeks to achieve maximum employment and price stability. (see pgs. 462-465)

• 4.10A - Explain how political ideologies vary on the role of the government in addressing social issues.

  • Liberal ideologies generally favor more national government involvement to address some social issues such as education and public health, with less responsibility for these issues left to state governments.

  • Conservative ideologies generally favor less national government involvement to address some social issues such as education and public health, with more responsibility for these issues left to state governments.

  • Libertarian ideologies generally favor little national or state government involvement except when national or state government is protecting private property or individual liberty.

• 4.10B - Explain how different ideologies impact policy on social issues.

  • Policy trends concerning the level of government involvement in social issues reflect the success of conservative or liberal perspectives in political parties.