Posc100 Test 3

Front 1

How do we measure public opinion?

Back 1

1. Elections

2. Straw Poll

3. Simple Random Sample

Front 2

Election returns are low quality measures of public opinion.

Back 2

1. They do not measure public opinion on specific issues.

2. Opinions fluctuate between elections.

Front 3

George Gallup proposed surveys as a solution for they

Back 3

1.

Separate candidate preferences from issue preferences.

2.

Can be conducted between elections.

Front 4

Gallup also argued that polls

Back 4

1. Thwart lobbyists that misrepresent their organization.

2. Represent the unorganized.

3. Create better political leaders.

Front 5

Political Information

Back 5

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􏰀 Large majorities know about the presidency and key political figures

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􏰀 Small (or near) majorities know basic facts about government institutions

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􏰀 Little attention is paid to policy and lower level political figures

Front 6

Why is public ignorance of politics troubling?

Back 6

􏰀 Information is the basis for political opinions

􏰀 Poll results may not be meaningful

Front 7

If parents are
􏰀- politically engaged
􏰀- send consistent cues

Back 7

Then children acquire stable predispositions such as

*

􏰀 partisanship

*

􏰀 religious orientation

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􏰀 attitudes on issues with a moral or affective component

Front 8

Party Identification Helps explain

Back 8

*

􏰀 How people vote

*

􏰀 What policy attitudes they have

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􏰀 How they interpret new political information

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􏰀 How they evaluate their political leaders

Front 9

The Origins of Party Identification

Back 9

􏰀 -Family
􏰀 -Social groups
􏰀 -Early political experiences

Front 10

Change in Party Identification

Back 10

Individuals rarely change their party identification

Front 11

Changing sides or changing minds?

􏰀 Political awareness 􏰀 Issue salience

Back 11

􏰀 -Political awareness
􏰀 Respondent is aware if she places the

Republican party to the right of the

Democratic party on abortion.

􏰀 -Issue salience
􏰀 Respondent finds abortion salient if she

responds “very important” or “extremely important” when asked “How important is the abortion issue to you?”

Front 12

The Effects of Party Identification

Back 12

Party identification affects opinions about political issues.

Why don’t political events change individual party attachments?

􏰀 -Partisans ignore inconsistent information.

-Low levels of political information.

Front 13

If I know your partisan identification, I can predict

Back 13

*

􏰀 How you will interpret new political information

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􏰀 How you evaluate political performance

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􏰀 Your attitudes on issues

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􏰀 How you will vote

Front 14

Why two parties?

Back 14

H1: State law gives the Democrats and Republicans the right to hold publicly run and financed primaries.

H2: Duverger’s Law

Front 15

H2: Duverger’s Law

Back 15

An electoral system requires two basic decisions

Select an electoral rule for each district

- Proportional representation
- Plurality rule
- Majority rule

Select the number of representatives for each district

- Single member district
- Multiple member district

Front 16

So why 2 parties with Duverger's Law?

Back 16

At the district level, plurality rule plus single member districts leads to two parties.

(Proportional representation and multiple member districts favors multi-partyism.)

Front 17

Strategic Voting

Back 17

A strategic voter choose a candidate on the basis of

- His preferences
- The likelihood that his vote will help

decide the election.

Front 18

Single member districts and plurality rule in which countries?

Back 18

- Canda (since 1867)
- Great Britain (since 1885)
- India (since 1957)

- United States

Front 19

Spurious correlation

Back 19

A spurious correlation arises when two factors (such as income and voting) appear to be causally related but in fact are both caused by a third factor (education).

Front 20

Spurious correlation EXAMPLE

Back 20

Who Votes?

The rich are more likely to vote.

BUT ACTUALLY

Educated people vote more.

Educated people tend to be richer.

Income appeared to drive voting.

People with the same education: income doesn't explain whether or not they vote.

People with the same income: education explains whether or not they vote.

Front 21

Why is turnout lower in the U.S.?

Back 21

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􏰀 Hard to register

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􏰀 Mobile voters

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􏰀 Mobile districts

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􏰀 We vote more frequently and on more issues & candidates

Front 22

1

Unlike interest groups, political parties are organizations that seek to influence government by:

Back 22

electing its members to office

Front 23

2

What is the name of the process by which a party selects a single candidate to run for each elective office?

Back 23

nomination

Front 24

3

In modern American politics, how are most candidates nominated to elected office?

Back 24

through primary elections

Front 25

4

The type of primary election most conducive to strong political parties is the _____ primary.

Back 25

closed

Front 26

5

Party get-out-the-vote efforts are critical for overcoming:

Back 26

the free-rider problem in voting

Front 27

6

Political parties effectively lower the information costs of voter participation because they provide:

Back 27

brand-name recognition

Front 28

7

Which term describes an individual voter's psychological tie to one party?

Back 28

Party identification

Front 29

8

Which term best describes party members who are strong party identifiers, and who also contribute their time, energy, and effort to party affairs by ringing doorbells, stuffing envelopes, attending meetings, and contributing money to the party cause?

Back 29

party activists

Front 30

9

At the national level, the most important organization for the Democratic and Republican parties for raising campaign funds, heading off factional disputes, and endeavoring to enhance the party's media image is the national:

Back 30

congressional campaign committee

Front 31

The parties have evolved today into:

Back 31

service organizations

Front 32

1. The choice of ballot format is usually made by the

Back 32

COUNTY

Front 33

2. The real problem with quantitive presentations of voter participation lies in

Back 33

THE BASELINE POPULATION

Front 34

3. How does voter turnout in the United States compare to that in other Western democracies?

Back 34

QUITE LOW

Front 35

4. The critical years during which voter turnout dramatically declined across the United States coincided with two changes in the institutions of elections. One of these changes involved:

Back 35

THE CREATION OF FORMAL REGISTRATION SYSTEMS AND LISTS

Front 36

5. Which of the following explains why Minnesota and Wisconsin tend to experience higher voter turnout rates?

Back 36

BOTH STATES EASE PARTICIPATION RESTRICTIONS BY GIVING VOTERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO REGISTER AND VOTE ON THE SAME DAY.

Front 37

6. Which of the following is NOT a reason that the secret ballot has enjoyed widespread use in the United States since the late

Back 37

THE SECRET BALLOT IMPROVES VOTER TURNOUT

Front 38

7. Ticket Splitting has led to more:

Back 38

DIVIDED GOVERNMENT

Front 39

8. The referendum, initiative, and recall all entail shifts in:

Back 39

AGENDA-SETTING POWER

Front 40

9. The incumbent president loses the chance for a second term in office because voters are unsatisfied with the current state of the economy. In this case, the voters employed:

Back 40

RETROSPECTIVE VOTING

Front 41

10. Relative to other countries, campaigns in the United States are:

Back 41

LONGER