Reading Review #1 Definitions

1. Political Culture- what people believe and feel about government and how they think
2. Political Ideology- a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to purse
3. Equality of Opportunity- all persons regardless of social class, age, race, or gender should have equal rights to compete for and attain positions in society
4. Equality of Results- making certain that people achieve the same result
5. Civic Duty- a belief that one has obligation to participate in civic and political affairs
6. Progressive Culture- a belief that personal freedom and solving social problems are more important than religion
7. Orthodox Culture- a belief that mortailty and religion ought to be of decisive importance
8. Political Efficacy- a belief that you can take part in politics or that the government will respond to the citizenry
9. Middle America- the middle class in the U.S
10. Silent Majority- an unspecified large majority of people who do not express their opinions publicly
11. Social Status- position in social hierarchy
12. Christian Coalition- U.S Christian advocacy group
13. Gender Gap- difference in political views between men and women
14. Liberal- open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values
15. Conservative- averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes
16. Libertarian- adherent of libertarianism and advocates civil liberty
17. Populist- a member or adherent of a political party that represents the interests of ordinary people
18. Political Elite- persons with a disproportionate share of political power
19. New Class- the privileged ruling class of bureaucrats and Communist Party
20. New Deal Coalition- the alignment of interst groups and voting blocs that supported the New Deal and voted for Democratic presidential candidates
21. Random Sample- method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected
22. Sampling Error- the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time
23. Weighting- adjustments made in order to take account of special circumstances
24. Quota Sample- sample created by gathering a predefined number of participants from each of several predetermined categories
25. Focus Groups- demographically diverse group of people assembled to participate in a guided discussion about a particular product before it is launched
26. Instant Response Polling- polling used by media and online
27. Push Polls- a political campaign technique in which an indivual or org. attemps to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll
28. Bandwagon Effect- a popular trend attracting even greater popularity
29. Refusal Rate - the percentage of people contacted who decline to participate in the research study
30. Exit Polls- polls based on interviews conducted on Election Day with randomly selected voters
31. Tracking Poll- an opinion poll in which the same sample is questioned periodically to measure shifts in opinions
32. Skewed Question- to suddenly change opinion in the questions
33. Context Effect- describes the influence of environmental factors on one's perception of a stimulus
34. Question Framing- statistical surverys used to collect quantitative information about items in a population
35. Saliency-
36. Help America Vote Act 2002- a federal program that reformed aspects of the U.S election system
37. Motor-Voter Law 1993- enables prospective voters to register when they obtain or renew a driver's license
38. Fifteenth Amendment- guaranteed blacks the right to vote
39. Literacy Test- a requirement that citizens show that they can read before registering to vote
40. Poll Tax- a requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote
41. Grandfather Clause- a clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before
42. White Primary- the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation
43. Voting Rights Act 1965- outlawed discriminatory voting practices
44. Nineteenth Amendment 1920- granted women the right to vote
45. Voting Rights Act 1970, 1982- extended the Voting Rights Act for five years
46. Twenty-Sixth Amendment 1971- standardized the voting age to 18
47. Twenty-Third Amendment 1961- permited citizens in the District of Columbia to vote for Electors
48. Disfranchisement- the discontinuation of a franchise or of the right to vote
49. Australian Ballot- a government-printed ballot of uniform dismensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted to reduce voting fraud
50. Activist- people who tend to participate in all forms of politics
51. Demographics- statistical data relating to the population