- Public opinion is a combination of the views, attitudes, and ideas held by individuals in a communityo Polling is the process of using social science methods to get an accurate sense of the public’s view on an issueo The first public opinion posters assumed that the public cared and was reasonably well informed about politics, but found many Americans cared little and knew less about what went on- Political socialization is the process by which citizens come to think what they do about politicso Beliefs, feelings, evaluations about the political world- What ages are critical in help shaping this process?o ~3-13o Social learning theory: people experience subtle rewards and punishments from the psychological attachments they form to particular people around themo Transfer theory: people may carry over attitudes developed in a narrower setting, such as family or school, to the broader political setting. A boy who dislikes his father may rebel against political authorityo Cognitive development theory: what people can learn about politics depends on the stage of their mental development. Some things can belearned only early in life, while other can be learned only later on- Symbolic vs. material valueso Symbolic: respect for flag/historical figures vs. goal for money and material- Agents of Socializationo Civics class, family, early political experiences Family has the first chance at influencing political development- Inherited ethnic and racial identity- Inherit family positions- Inherited socio-economic status- Inherited political predispositions- Inherited symbolic attachments- Psychological attachments are often strong and therefore more conducive to the transference of attitudes toward authority, which influences attitudes and behavior relating to participation and partisanshipo Schools, the primary explicit teacher of information about politics and government Explicit- When they’re teaching you the differences between ideologies- Discussion on what a good citizen is- Civics class Implicit- Different experiences through life that shape your beliefs- History text Patterns from education- Higher participation- Higher efficacy- Grander accusation of what is political- Greater interest in politics- Greater understanding of politics- Political efficacy is one’s own opinion on how they affect the political system, decides if they have an active role in ito Psychological experiments: Low efficacy is found in abusive family relations – Lane Voice in family affairs results in higher efficacy - Almond & Verba- How is political socialization related to political stability?o Process of teaching people political beliefs, so it relates because it ensures that they don’t question beliefs- What does the “good citizen” do?o Votes, pays taxes, active in government, etc. - Swedish toys – collective actiono Playgroup toys, when you grow up, the idea of working together to achieve a particular end- Civic associations, Tocqueville argues, draw citizens outside of themselves and allow for self-governance on a small scale. But, perhaps more important, when opportunities for self-governance are combined with the pursuit of common interests and values, civic associations can transform themselves into political organizations--groups aimed at actively shaping political outcomes- Civic engagement is participating in your community, whether it be politics or not- Social capital is the benefit of when people participate in civic engagemento Bridging vs. bonding social capital Bridging: When people participate in a common group, but don’t have much in common. By participating, they are overcoming their differences and bridging the gap to work together Bonding: when people work together in a group but don’t create any new bonds, just making them stronger- Putnamo Social Capital - features of social life--networks, norms, and trust--thatenable participants to act together more effectively to pursue shared objectiveso Civic Engagement - People's connections with the life of their communities, not only with politics- Civic organizations are comprised of people who join together to provide a service or services to their community. Non-profit organizations are considered civic organizations because they are formed for the purpose of servicing a public or mutual benefit other than the pursuit or accumulation ofprofits for its owners or investors. Non-profit organizations take various forms, such as charities, foundations, social welfare or advocacy groups, professional/trade associations, and religious organizations- Democratic centralism vs. elections en seriatumo Democratic centralism: a principle of Communist party organization by which members take part in policy discussions and elections at all levels but must follow decisions made at higher levels- Single member districto Majority rule Need >50% to win Runoff election IRV (instant runoff voting)o First past the post or plurality rule Need more votes than other candidateso Both kinds promote a two party system- Single Member District Featureso Policy Stability Similar partieso Two Party System Maurice Duverger- Duverger’s Lawo Asserts that plurality rule elections within single-member districts tend to favor a two-party system- At most, two competitive partieso Median Voter Hypothesis Moderate political parties, converging on the centero Reform change is hardo Long term partisan control- Multimember districtso An electoral district from which two or more members are sent to the legislatureo Closed party list PR Strong parties Party determines who “wins” a seato Open Party list # of votes determines place on listo Lead to multiple parties that are electorally viable over long periods of timeo Coalition Ruleo Higher Voter satisfaction As a consequence, higher voter turnouto Reform is easiero Loss “wasted vote” problemo Single transferrable votes Candidates don’t need a majority of votes to be elected, just a known share of the votes, determined by the size of the electorate - Majority vs. plurality ruleo Majority - >50%; plurality – more than anyone else, but not necessarily a majority- Open vs. closed primaries o A primary is an election in which political parties’ nominees for office are decidedo Open – a primary voting system where a voter can pick the ballot of any party he chooses to vote for in that particular primary, regardless of party affiliationo