American Government Study Guide

When examining public opinion, it is important to understand the political socialization process. Peo- ple who grew up in homes that were positively or negatively affected by events in history could de- termine which political ideology they will follow. Overtime, people have become more polarized when it comes to issues politically and socially. The involvement of social media and the subjective nature of media in general. People have a tendency to take political commentary at face value without examining the facts or assuming there might bias. Ultimately, political socialization pushes a person to one side or the other for most issues, either to the conservative and liberal sides, and rarely will people be a mix of liberal and conservative on issues. 6.3 Political Ideology The two general ways to identify one’s political ideology , or systems of ideas on politics, are labeled as conservative or liberal. Typically, conservatives are not for drastic changes in policy and are in favor of more traditional ideas, while liberals look for greater change and a more progressive ap- proach to ideas. Conservatives are more inclined to vote for the Republican Party while liberals are more inclined to vote for the Democratic Party. There are varying degrees of conservatism and liberalism. Often times they will be classi�ied as radi- cals, the people who go further right for conservatism and further left for liberalism take a stronger stance on public opinion one way or the other. While most people end up more towards the middle of the political spectrum, there are people that take a more extreme approach to government and the political climate of our nation. The two-party system has been a way to prevent many of the radical ideologies that are out there but bringing people with similar ideas closer together towards the mid- dle. Both parties have been traditionally afraid to go too radical on any issue at the risk of losing voters. 6.4 Civic Engagement Public opinion is often times in�luenced by the level of civic engagement that an individual partakes in. Civic engagement is the term to describe how someone gets involved in the political processes of the nation. There are many types of civic engagement where citizens can get involved in the political process. Ways to get involved civically include voting in elections, participating in political campaigns, attend- ing public meetings, donating to a cause or political campaign, or even the basic exercising of one’s rights. As a citizen of the United States of America, one should be civically involved as much as possi- ble, not just for the bene�it of the individual for having a pulse on the nation, but also to take part in a system where the power belongs to the people. If people don’t exercise the powers they have been given, the design of the system breaks down and ultimately fails.

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