The American People The Immigrant Society United States is a nation of immigrants Three waves of Immigration Northwestern Europeans prior to late 19 th Century Southern and eastern Europeans late 19 ID: 329550
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Slide1
Socialization and IdeologySlide2
The American People
The Immigrant Society
United States is a nation of immigrants.
Three waves of Immigration:
Northwestern Europeans (prior to late 19
th
Century)
Southern and eastern Europeans (late 19
th
and early 20
th
centuries)
Hispanics and Asians (late 20
th
century)Slide3
The American People
The American Melting Pot
Melting Pot: the mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples that has changed the American nation
Minority Majority: the emergence of a non-Caucasian majority
Political culture is an overall set of values widely shared within a society.Slide4
The American PeopleSlide5
The American People
The American Melting Pot (continued)
African Americans face a legacy of racism.
Hispanics are the largest minority group faced with the problem of illegal immigration.
Simpson-Mazzoli Act: requires employers document citizenship of employee
Asian immigration has been driven by a new class of professional workers.
Native Americans: indigenous and disadvantagedSlide6
The American People
The Regional Shift
Population shift from east to west
Reapportionment: the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the censusSlide7
The American People
The Graying of America
Fastest growing age group is over 65
Potential drain on Social Security
Pay as you go system
In 1942, 42 workers per retiree
In 2040, 2 workers per retireeSlide8
How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization
Political Socialization:
“the process through which and individual acquires [their] particular political orientation”
Orientation grow firmer with age
The Process of Political Socialization
The Family
Political leanings of children often mirror their parents’ leanings
Religion: Families form and transmit political beliefs through their religious traditionSlide9
How Americans Learn About Politics: Political Socialization
The Process of Political Socialization (continued)
The Mass Media
Chief source of information as children age
Generation gap is viewing television news
School
Used by government to socialize young into political culture
Better-educated citizens are more likely to vote and are more knowledgeable about politics and policy.
Political Learning Over a Lifetime
Aging increases political participation and strength of party attachment.Slide10
How Americans Learn About Politics: Political SocializationSlide11
The Gender Gap
Men have become increasingly Republican since the mid-1960s
Women have continued to identify with the Democratic Party at approximately the same rate since the early 1950s
This reflects attitudinal differences between men and women about the size of government, gun control, social programs, and gay rightsSlide12
Table 7.3: The Gender Gap: Differences in Political Views of Men and WomenSlide13
Education
From 1920s through 1960s, studies showed a college education had a liberalizing effect, possibly because of exposure to liberal elites
Contemporary college students’ opinions are more complicatedSlide14
Figure 7.1: Generational Gaps on the Issues
Survey by
Washington Post
/Henry J. Kaiser Foundation/Harvard University, August 2-September 1, 2002, as reported in Elizabeth Hamel et al., "Younger Voters,"
Public Perspective,
May/June 2003, p. 11.Slide15
How American Learn About Politics: Political SocializationSlide16
Social Class
Social class: ill-defined in U.S., though recognized in specific cases (e.g., truck drivers and investment bankers)
Social class is less important in the U.S. than in Europe; the extent of cleavage has declined in both placesSlide17
Race and Ethnicity
Similarities and differences between blacks and whites are complex, but there is some evidence that they may be narrowing
Latinos tend to identify as Democrats, though not as strongly as African AmericansSlide18
Table 7.4: African American and White OpinionSlide19
Regional Differences
White southerners were once more conservative than other regions regarding aid to minorities, legalizing marijuana, school busing, and rights of the accused
Southerners are now significantly less Democratic than they were for most of the 20
th
centurySlide20
Political Ideology
Political ideology
: a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue
A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose
The great majority of Americans do not think ideologically
People may have strong predispositions even if they do not satisfy the condition of being “ideological”Slide21
What Americans Value: Political Ideologies
Do People Think in Ideological Terms?
Ideologues: those who think in ideological terms (12 percent)
Group Benefits voters: view politics through party label (42 percent)
Nature of the Times: view of politics based on whether times are good or bad (24 percent)
No issue content: vote routinely for party or personality (22 percent)Slide22
What Americans Value: Political Ideologies
Who Are the Liberals and Conservatives?
Predominance of conservative over liberal thinking
Currently about 38% conservative, 24% liberal, 38% moderate
Gender gap: women tend to be less conservative than men
Ideological variation by religion tooSlide23
Figure 7.3: Ideological Self-Identification
The American Enterprise
(March/April 1993): 84, Robert S. Ericson and Kent L. Tedin,
American Public Opinion
(New York: Longman, 2001), 101, citing surveys by CBS/
New York Times
.Slide24
Liberals and Conservative
Pure liberals
: liberal on both economic and personal conduct issues
Pure conservatives
: conservative on both economic and personal conduct issues
Libertarians
: conservative on economic issues, liberal on personal conduct issues
Populists
: liberal on economic issues, conservative on personal conduct issues Slide25
Liberals and Conservatives
Economic policy: liberals favor jobs for all, subsidized medical care and education, increased taxation of the rich
Civil rights: liberals favor strong federal action to desegregate schools, hiring opportunities for minorities, and strict enforcement of civil rights laws
Public and political conduct: liberals are tolerant of protest demonstrations, favor legalization of marijuana, and emphasize protecting the rights of the accusedSlide26
What Americans Value: Political IdeologiesSlide27
Table 7.6: How Liberals and Conservatives DifferSlide28
Political Elites
Political elites
: those who have a disproportionate amount of some valued resource
Elites influence public opinion by framing issues and stating norms
But elite influence only goes so far; they do not define problems that are rooted in personal experienceSlide29
Summary
American society is ethnically diverse and changing.
Knowing public opinion is important to a democracy, just as polling has costs and benefits.
Americans know little about politics.
Political participation is generally low.