unit 5 - public opinion & ideology targets 5.5 – 5.8
TRANSCRIPT
Unit 5 - Public Opinion & Ideology
Targets 5.5 – 5.8
Public Opinion Case Study
• Does it seem possible or does it seem impossible to you that the Holocaust never happened?
Possible
Impossible
Public Opinion Case Study
• Does it seem POSSIBLE or does it seem IMPOSSIBLE to you that the Holocaust never happened?
Possible
Impossible
22%
• Can we trust public opinion polls?
o The 1993 Roper poll caused a shock wave when over 1/5 (22%) of respondents indicated that they believed it was possible the Holocaust did not happen. The question contained a double negative
o By changing the wording of the question, the number dropped to just 1%
Public Opinion Case Study
5.5 Deciphering Public Opinion
• 5a Should government care what the public thinks or wants?o In a democracy, how important is it for government actions to reflect the
popular will?
• 5b Why is public opinion so hard to pin down?o Public uniformedo Public opinion changeso Polling Techniques: Question wording matters, Must be Random / Large
sampling
• 5c What factors influence political beliefs?o Familyo Ageo Religiono Gendero Social Classo Raceo Region
5.5 Deciphering Public Opinion
5.6 Political Ideology/Beliefs• Q:What distinguishes a Democrat from a Republican?• A: Political ideology =
o Beliefs and/or convictions regarding political & moral issues
o Political ideologies / labels…
• … liberal and conservativeo Meaning has changed
• … Those in the middle are called moderates
o As a rule, the Democrats are liberal and the Republicans are conservative.
5.6b Political Ideology/Beliefs• Q: What do the labels “liberal” and
“conservative” mean?• A: Beliefs on a wide range of issues, ranging from
the environment to gay marriage
• Issues can be categorized as economic issues or social issues
• “Hot button” Issues o Abortiono Gay Marriageo Gun Controlo Illegal Immigrationo National debt
o Religion in Schools• Evolution v. Intelligent Design
o The Environment• Global Warming
o Inconvenient Truth
• Wolf release program
5.6b Political Ideology/Beliefs
Name Calling
5.6c Measuring Political Ideology• The Political Spectrum
The Right
The Left
liberals moderates
conservatives
Origins of Political Ideology (NPR – Dec 2013)
5.6d Interpreting Data• Are more Americans Conservative, Liberal or
Moderate? How does this correspond with party affiliation?
• Interpret two charts from Pew Research: One showing Ideology and the other showing party affiliationo What is the trend for each chart?
o When comparing the two, do you see any anomalies?
o How might we explain this?
5.6 Activity - Gauging Your Own
Ideology
• Complete this activity by taking 2 of the following surveys…o World’s Smallest Political Quiz
• &o Go to Quiz
- Or -o Pew Research – Political Typology
• Liberal
• Conservative
5.6c Gauging Political Ideology
• Libertariano Demographics = younger, more educatedo Social Issues = Liberalo Economic Issues = Conservative
5.6d Beyond Conservative & Liberal
• Populistso Demographics = Older, less educated
5.6d Beyond Conservative & Liberal
• Other Labelso Environmentalistso Feminist
• Mormon Feministso Atheistso Agnosticso Fundamentalist
5.6d Beyond Conservative & Liberal
5.7 Q: “Who” are Liberals &
Conservatives?• A: Many factors shape, or otherwise correlate with
an individuals ideological beliefs. The following are some important demographic factors:o Gendero Raceo Ageo Region
• Southern states v. North East• West coast v. Intermountain region• Urban v. Rural
o Religion• Church goers v. secularists
o Educationo Incomeo Family (married?, Children?, etc.)
5.7 In Depth - Who are liberals &
Conservatives• Complete this In depth Assignment by using CNN Exit Polls
o 2012 Presidential Exit Polls (CNN)o Once at the web site, choose the exit poll tabo 2014 Mid term exit polls (CNN)
o Example:
• View of Federal Health Law (Obamacare) – 2014 exit pollso Conservatives are much more likely to oppose Obamacare at 84%,
whereas liberals are much more likely to favor at 74% o In your answer, use the phrases “more likely” & “less likely” to record the
trend
• Other Polls to look at (Note that some categories are not included)o 2012 Exit Polls (NY Times)o 2012 Exit Polls (Wash. Post) Compares 2012 & 2008 Elections
• How do Exit polls Work? (Vox)
5.7a The “gender gap”
5.7b Region
Region
5.7c RaceVOTE BY RACE BUSH KERRY NADER
TOTAL 2004 2000 2004 2004
White (77%) 58% +4 41% 0%
African-American (11%) 11% +2 88% 0%
Latino (8%) 44% +9 53% 2%
Asian (2%) 44% +3 56% *
Other (2%) 40% +1 54% 2%
5.7c Age
VOTE BY AGEBUSH KERRY NADER
TOTAL 2004 2000 2004 2004
18-29 (17%) 45% n/a 54% 0%
30-44 (29%) 53% +4 46% 1%
45-59 (30%) 51% +2 48% 0%
60 and Older (24%) 54% +7 46% 0%
5.7c ReligionVOTE BY RELIGION BUSH KERRY NADER
TOTAL 2004 2000 2004 2004
Protestant (54%) 59% +3 40% 0%
Catholic (27%) 52% +5 47% 0%
Jewish (3%) 25% +6 74% *
Other (7%) 23% -5 74% 1%
None (10%) 31% +1 67% 1%
Religion cont.CHURCH ATTENDANCE
KERRY NADER
TOTAL 2004 2000 2004 2004
More Than Weekly (16%) 64% n/a 35% 1%
Weekly (26%) 58% n/a 41% 0%
Monthly (14%) 50% n/a 49% *
A Few Times a Year (28%) 45% n/a 54% 0%
Never (15%) 36% n/a 62% 1%
BUSH
Democrats and Religion
5.7c Family Status
Married and Have Children?
All Gore Bush Buchanan Nader
Yes 31 % 41 % 56 % 0 % 2 %
No 69 % 51 % 44 % 1 % 3 %
Are You Married? All Gore Bush Buchanan Nader
Yes 65 % 44 % 53 % 1 % 2 %
No 35 % 57 % 38 % 0 % 4 %
5.8 Political Elites• Elites are more ideolo
gical than the general public (Pew)