The Individual Citizen Knowledge Beliefs and Learning I Citizen Knowledge About Politics Factual Information A Levels of Knowledge Fairly Low Structural rules Policy rules General Pattern B Patterns of Knowledge Socio Economic Status Income Education C Sources of Knowledge Past Present Young People Newspapers to TV to Internet Fewer stories Less thorough Less context D Consequences Issue Attentive Publics small groups interested in specific topics exert disproportionate influence 1 Level of Knowledge Dates of Survey November 6 15 2010 Margin of Error 3 4 Sample Size 848 http www worldpublicopinion org pipa articles brunitedstatescanadara 670 php nid id pnt 670 lb accessed 11 30 10 AMERICANS POLITICAL KNOWLEDGE 2007 How Americans Scored on the Pew Knowledge Quiz Correctly answered at least 20 questions 10 15 questions 35 12 questions 52 10 questions 66 7 questions 83 5 questions 92 1 question 99 Out of 23 core questions Respondents were asked to identify public figures who had recently been in the news They also were asked questions that measured how much they knew about important and widely covered news events Using a common school grading scale in which 90 correct is the minimum necessary to receive an A 80 for a B 70 for a C 60 for a D and less than 60 is a failing grade Americans did not fare too well Fully half would have failed while only about one in six would have earned an A or B Source What Americans Know 1989 2007 PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF CURRENT AFFAIRS LITTLE CHANGED BY NEWS AND INFORMATION REVOLUTIONS A Pew Research Center survey that interviewed a representative national sample of 1 502 adults between Feb 1 13 2007 Socio Economic Patterns of Knowledge Knowledge Level High Medium 35 31 20 31 34 35 63 26 15 29 35 32 47 31 Low Total 34 High school or less 49 Some college 31 College graduate 11 18 29 56 30 49 33 50 64 22 MOST IMPORTANT NEWS SOURCE 1959 1994 Percent Most Important News Source 100 80 60 40 Television Newspapers 20 Radio 0 1959 1963 1967 1971 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1992 1961 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1991 1994 Year Magazines II Citizen Beliefs About Politics Value Judgments Fundamentally Nonideological Ideology a consistent and interrelated set of values that conform to an underlying principle for example Libertarianism A Inconsistent Values Pragmatic what works best vs what is consistent B Moderate Values middle of the road vs polarized III Learning Beliefs About Politics Political Socialization A Definition Intergenerational transmission of values about politics B Types of Political Socialization Explicit Party Identification Patriotism Implicit Political Efficacy Attitudes toward Authority 8 LIBERTARIANISM DEFINED Reviving libertarianism By Christopher Patton The Daily Iowan Posted 2 12 08 Richard Campagna Libertarian Party candidate for Iowa lieutenant governor in 2002 and for Vice President of the United States in 2004 said the core of libertarianism is preserving individual freedom through a limited government Libertarians are not opposed to police and they re not opposed to administrative regulations he said Libertarians like the local cops so long as they don t do things outside of their parameters Explaining how libertarians would govern were they to be elected he said he thinks liberal Republicans when they act upon what they say they believe come the closest to being libertarians Overall libertarians tend to agree with Republicans on economic issues and Democrats on social issues he said III C Agents of Political Socialization 1 Parents Family first greatest impact 2 School generalizing experience 3 Peers reference groups 4 Media reinforces stereotypes IV Measuring Citizen Opinions Scientific Polling A Main Problem Creating a Representative Measure meetings letters rallies unrepresentative B Basic Solution Random Sampling of respondents C Other Problems still exist social pressures socially acceptable answers ambiguous terms sequence of choices refusal to respond cell phones not a random sample D But professional polls remain best measure of opinion 12 Sources of Questionnaire Errors The Individual Citizen Forms and Rates of Participation I Forms of Participation in the U S A Conventional Forms most common endorsed 1 Voting 2 Campaign Activity 3 Contacting Activity by individuals 4 Communal Activity by groups but ad hoc B Unconventional forms less common tolerated examples marches demonstrations some acts of civil disobedience C Unacceptable Not participation suppressed examples riots bombings kidnappings 14 VOTING AS CONVENTIONAL PARTICIPATION 3rd Graders Prep For Vote By Rachel Goodell The Daily Iowan 10 31 08 Students in the Iowa City School District are participating in Kids Voting USA and they have the opportunity to cast ballots Nov 4 It s such a big current event they re excited to participate in a real way said Linda Grigsby a Grant Wood teacher Kids Voting USA is a national program in 25 states that provides curricula for K 12 students to learn about the election process at the local state and national levels On Election Day students may go to designated polls with their parents to vote Students votes are then tallied and a winner is announced on national television on election night the teacher said http media www dailyiowan com media storage paper599 news 2008 10 31 Metro 3rdGraders Prep For Vo te 3518408 shtml reffeature htmlemailedition accessed 10 31 08 II Explaining Why People Participation in U S Politics A Cross sectional explanation variation within an election Largely a function of Socio Economic Status SES 1 Education 2 Income 3 Age 4 Party Identification 5 Political Efficacy 6 Gender Since 1980s Women Men 2008 65 7 vs 61 5 4 2 gap 7 Non factor after statistical controls Race 2008 No Gap 66 1 White vs 65 2 Black 16 Comparing Voting Rates Across Nations Types of Electoral Participation in the U S III B Longitudinal Explanation variation across elections 1 Reform Era Decline in Turnout 1880s 1920s a State Reforms Australian Ballot 1890s Registration Requirements 1900s b National Reforms Women s Suffrage 19th Amendment 1920 2 Modern Era Rise in Turnout 1920s 1960s socio economic effects a Rising Education Levels b Rising Income Levels c Aging Population 21 Modern Rising Turnout Era New Era PreReform Era Progressive Reform Era Modern Declining Turnout Era Modern Rising Turnout Era New Era PreReform Era Progressive Reform Era Modern Declining Turnout Era III B 3 Modern Era Decline in Turnout 1960s 1996 mix of positive and