unit 2
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Unit 2. Ch 6-11 Inputs to US Government. Quiz. Briefly explain the 3 “waves” of immigration. What is the #1 source of a citizen’s political socialization? Explain the “gender gap”. What is the mandate theory of elections? How does personal income influence which party someone votes for?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Unit 2
Ch 6-11
Inputs to US Government
Quiz
1. Briefly explain the 3 “waves” of immigration.
2. What is the #1 source of a citizen’s political socialization?
3. Explain the “gender gap”.4. What is the mandate theory of
elections?5. How does personal income influence
which party someone votes for?
Demography
• Statistical study of populations
• Ex. of demographic groups– Income
–Race/ethnicity
–Age
–Marriage status
–Education
–Religion
–Occupation
–Gender
–Urban/rural–Home ownership
Generations
• Baby boomers (born 1946-mid 60s)– Highest birthrates in last 90 years– In 1965, 40% of USA was under 20– Oldest ones are retiring now
• 3 most recent presidents– Clinton & GW Bush born 1946– Obama born 1961
# of babies born in USA
Other generations
• Generation X (mid 60s-early 80s)
• Millennials/Gen Y (80s-early 90s)
• Later generations tend to be:– More cynical / less trusting
– More likely to be independents
– MUCH less politically active
Graying of America
• Average age in US higher than ever– Fewer babies born
• Fertility rate dropping
– Elderly are living longer• Better healthcare than ever before• Strong 20th C economy – people could
retire then live long & prosper
Demography
• Dependency ratio
– Measures how much of population supported by productive population
– Low dependency ratios: better ability for country to grow economically
Immigration
• Movement of people into a country
• Emigration – movement away
• Slaves don’t count in immigration numbers – assumes intentional
Immigration
• Phases:– Colonies – most immigrants were
European indentured servants
– Mid-19th C – most from north Europe
– Late 19th- early 20th C – south & east Europe
– Post 1965 – Latin America & Asia
Movement within US
• Urbanization– Urban = 2500– Rural % of population in steady decline
• 1800 – 95% rural / 5% urban• 1890 – 65% rural / 35% urban• 1920 – urban > rural• 1990 – 25% rural / 75% urban
Movement within US
• Great Migration (1914-1960s)– Blacks moved from rural south to big
cities (often in other areas of US)
African American concentration
Movement within US
• Rust Belt to Sun Belt
• Since 1960s/1970s
• 25 electoral votes moved from Rust to Sun since 1970
• All elected presidents 1964-2004 were from Sun Belt
Sun Belt Migration
• Invention of air conditioning
• Transportation / communication
• Retirement
• Industry moved from MW to SE/SW
• Immigration
Political beliefs
• Ideology– Beliefs of an individual
• Political culture– Beliefs of society as a whole
• Americans basically agree on virtually all issues
Political ideology
• Easily broken out into 2 areas:
• Economic Policy– Taxation level
– Amount of business regulation
– Free trade v. protectionism
• Social Policy– Gov involvement in private lives
Major American Ideologies
• Conservatism– Limited economic policy
• Fewer business regulations
• Lower taxes & spending
– Active social policy
• More rules on personal life
Major American Ideologies
• Liberalism– Active economic policy
• More business regulations
• Higher taxes & spending
– Limited social policy
• Fewer laws restricting behavior
Less Common Ideologies
• Libertarianism– Limited both economic & social policy
– As little government as possible
• Socialism– Active both economic & social policy
– Government major player – all of life
Ideology and Political Parties
• Ideology ≠ political party membership– Liberals tend to be Democrats– Conservatives tend to be Republicans– BUT NOT ALWAYS
Party identification MUCH more complicated
Ideology and Political Parties
• Political Socialization– Process people develop political beliefs
– There are many sources:
• Media / school / peers
• Race / age / income / religion / gender
– ABSOLUTE #1 source:
PARENTS
Does media influence us?
• Not as much as we think
• More influence:– Which issues are important
• Less influence: – What to believe about issues
Cleavages
• Divisions of society that cause people to vote differently
• Differences in voting reflect differences in demographics
Cleavages
• Reinforcing cleavages– Social differentiations coincide
– If incomes, regions, races, religions create redundant political divisions
– Pushes people farther apart
– Less chance of compromise– More oppressive / civil war more likely
Cleavages
• Cross-cutting cleavages– Social differentiations cancel out
– If region, religion, race, etc. don’t result in same difference over & over
– Healthier society – not always us vs. them (because they’re evil)
– Relatively moderate, non-ideological, weaker political parties – like USA