Political Spectrum
This is when you are in the middle of the political spectrum and go either way. Most Americans fall here on the political spectrum.
What are moderates?
What is the best indication of how a person will vote? Where do we learn our political socialization the most from?
What is at home, our parents, our community or our environment?
These are groups of people that believe in the same ideas for government. An example are the Libertarians.
What are political parties?
This is the term for not belonging to any political party.
What is being independent?
The best type of polls are not specific and get people by ________________.
What is random?
Which political party or group of people would like taxes and the minimum wage to increase to support social welfare programs, as well as would like to cut military spending?
What are liberals or Democrats?
This is a theory of voting in which voters essentially ask “what have you done for me lately” and wants to go back to past decisions or traditions in government.
What is retrospective voting?
These are the long-lasting impact of shared major events (wars, recessions, scandals) on the political attitudes and beliefs of a specific age cohort. Examples of these effects for the elderly may include social security, Medicare and retirement.
What are generational or lifestyle effects?
This is the term for when political parties control different branches of the federal government and it leads to gridlock.
What is divided government?
These are the type of polls that are taken as people leave the polling places to predict the winners of elections.
What are exit polls?
This political party or group of people would like to see taxes decrease and are not in favor of increased government spending on social welfare programs, but more budgeted for the military.
Who are the conservatives or the Republicans?
This type of voting bases decisions on well-informed opinions and consideration of the future consequences of a given vote.
What is prospective voting?
This is the term for how citizens learn of and develop attitudes about government. Several factors contribute to this including family, schools, peers, and social environments.
What is political socialization?
We have this type of system so it makes it hard for third parties to ever win since it is not based on proportional votes.
What is winner take all system?
These are opinion surveys taken before voters cast their ballots.
What are entrance polls?
Which political party falls right on the political spectrum for government control and spending, but left on the political spectrum for social issues like LGBTQ rights?
Who are the Libertarians?
This type of voting is when a voter has examined an issue or candidate, evaluated campaign promises or platform points, and consciously decided to vote in the way that seems to benefit the voter.
What is rational choice voting?
This is the belief that one’s political participation really matters-that one’s vote can actually make a difference.
What is political efficacy?
This is when a party undergoes a major shift in its electoral base and political agenda, like with Roosevelt and the Great Depression.
What is party realignment?
These are individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues. This is smaller and has more room for error than a poll.
What is a focus group?
If you are far right on the political spectrum right are known as ____________ and far left you are known as ___________________.
What are reactionary and radical?
Linkage institutions are the channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda. Name four linkage institutions.
What are elections, interest groups, political parties and the media?
This type of economic policy involves the government attempting to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and interest rates.
What is monetary policy?
This is the term for an election that produces a sharp change in the existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters; electoral realignment persists through several elections. An example of this is the 1860 election of Lincoln.
What is a critical election?
This is a initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared through the election.
What are benchmark polls?