Unit 5 - Public Opinion & Ideology

1. Unit 5 - Public Opinion & Ideology Targets 5.5 – 5.8

2. Public Opinion Case Study • Should “final clubs”, such as those at Harvard University be allowed to Continue? Allowed Not Allowed

3. Public Opinion Case Study • Does it seem possible or does it seem impossible to you that the Holocaust never happened? Possible Impossible

4. Public Opinion Case Study • Was President elect Donald Trump right to make a courtesy call to Taiwan’s political leader? Yes No

5. Public Opinion Case Study • Does it seem possible or does it seem impossibleto you that the Holocaust never happened? Possible 22% Impossible

6. 5.5 Case Study - Public Opinion • Can we trust public opinion polls? • 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 • By changing the wording of the question, the number dropped to just 1%

7. 5.5 Deciphering Public Opinion • RESOURCES • How Exit Polls Work (Vox – Nov. 2014) • http://www.vox.com/2014/11/4/7150019/exit-polls-2014-midterm-election-results-biased • Fox News broke exit polls rules (Politico – Oct. 2014) • http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/11/fox-news-breaks-exit-poll-rules-198174.html • 5a Should government care what the public thinks or wants? • In a democracy, how important is it for government actions to reflect the popular will? • View of the Framers? • 5b Why is public opinion so hard to pin down? • Public uniformed • Public opinion changes • Polling Techniques: Question wording matters (false positives, leading questions, either/or questions), Must be Random / Large sampling • Push polls … loaded or manipulative questions

8. 5.5 Deciphering Public Opinion • 5c What factors influence political beliefs? • Family • Age • Religion • Gender • Social Class • Race • Region

10. Understanding Government To Understand … One Must Understand… Modern Government Political Parties Political Ideology Political parties Political ideology/Culture Political Issues

11. 5.6a Political Ideology/Beliefs • Q:What distinguishes a Democrat from a Republican? • A: Political ideology = • Beliefs and/or convictions regarding political & moral issues • Q: What are the major political ideologies / labels… • A: Liberaland Conservative • Meanings have changed • Liberal for T. Jefferson = maximum political and economic freedom • Time of Roosevelt’s New Deal = Activist government that tries to solve social and economic problems • Those in the middle of the spectrum are called moderates • As a rule, the Democrats are liberal and the Republicans are conservative.

12. 5.6b Political Ideology/Beliefs • Debating Issues • Are people born gay? • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xXThqohiZo • Q: What do the labels “liberal” and “conservative” mean? • A: Beliefs on a wide spectrum of issues, ranging from the environment to gay marriage • Issues can be categorized as economic issues or social issues • “Hot button” Issues • Abortion • Gay Marriage • Gun Control • Illegal Immigration • National debt

13. 5.6b Political Ideology/Beliefs • Religion in Schools • Evolution v. Intelligent Design • Evolution • The Environment • Global Waba?? • Inconvenient Truth • Wolf release program

14. Name Calling

15. 5.6c Measuring Political Ideology • Resources: • Every wondered the origins of the terms conservative and liberal? Listen to NPR story on origins of political labels: • http://www.npr.org/2013/12/03/248320213/upset-over-divisive-political-culture-blame-burke-and-paine • Q: What tool is used to measure ideology? • A: The Political Spectrum liberals conservatives moderates Pure Liberals Pure Conservatives The Left The Right Origins of Political Ideology(NPR – Dec 2013) Left vs Right (Prauger)

16. 5.6c Gauging Political Ideology • Liberal

17. 5.6c Gauging Political Ideology • Conservative

18. 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 (Gallup) and the other showing party affiliation (Pew) • What is the trend for each chart? • When comparing the two, do you see any anomalies? • How might we explain this?

19. 5.6 Activity - Gauging Your Own Ideology • Complete this activity by taking 2 of the following surveys… • World’s Smallest Political Quiz • & • Go to Quiz - Or - • Pew Research – Political Typology

20. IN DEPTH • Ron Paul Highlights from 2012 Republican Primary Debate - (Fox News - 2011) • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNfruyVGOe0 5.6e Beyond Conservative & Liberal • Libertarian • Demographics = younger, more educated • Social Issues = Liberal • Economic Issues = Conservative

21. 5.6e Beyond Conservative & Liberal What do Populists Believe? http://www.npr.org/2014/10/31/360300838/in-swing-state-of-colorado-voter-says-she-has-to-settle-for-choice-of-evils • Populists • Demographics = Older, less educated • Social Issues = Conservative • Economic Issues = Liberal Capitalism, A Love Story

22. 5.6e Beyond Conservative & Liberal Who are Evangelicals? (NPR) http://www.npr.org/2015/12/19/458058251/are-you-an-evangelical-are-you-sure • Other Labels • Environmentalists • Feminist • Mormon Feminists • Atheists • Agnostics • Evangelicals (NPR) • Fundamentalist

23. 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: • Gender • Race • Age • Region • Southern states v. North East • West coast v. Intermountain region • Urban v. Rural • Religion • Church goers v. secularists • Education • Income • Family (married?, Children?)

24. 5.7 In Depth - Who are liberals & Conservatives RESOURCES How do Exit Polls work? http://www.vox.com/2014/11/4/7150019/exit-polls-2014-midterm-election-results-biased • Complete this In depth Assignment by using CNN Exit Polls • 2012 Presidential Exit Polls (CNN) • Once at the web site, choose the exit poll tab • 2014 Mid term exit polls (CNN) • Once at the web site, scroll down below the map, then choose the "Exit Poll" tab • 2016 Presidential Exit Poll (CNN) • Example of how to complete 5.7: • View of Federal Health Law (Obamacare) – 2014 exit polls • Conservatives are much more likely to oppose Obamacare at 84%, whereas liberals are much more likely to favor at 74% • In your answer, use the phrases “more likely” & “less likely” to record the trend • Optional Polls to look at (Note that some categories are not included in these polls) • 2012 Exit Polls (NY Times) • 2012 Exit Polls (Wash. Post) Compares 2012 & 2008 Elections • How do Exit polls Work? (VoxArticle)

25. 5.7a The “gender gap”

26. 5.7b Region

27. 7b Region

28. 7b Region

29. 5.7c Race

30. 5.7c Race

31. 5.7c Age

32. 5.7c Religion

33. Religion cont. Democrats and Religion

34. 5.7c Family Status

35. 5.8 Political Elites • 8a-c Who Are Political Elites? • Political Elites defined…. • Elites are more consistent and more extreme in their political views • Elites are more ideological than the general public (Pew) • Through what means do political elites exercise more influence over policy? • Media • Examples

36. 5.9 Reading Data • The AP test will have questions that will include charts and data • Use the Charts and Data handout/online presentation to complete this target