PUBLIC OPINION &

POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
Chapter 6
 WHAT INFLUENCES YOU?
• On blank white paper, draw a picture of yourself in
the middle of the page.
• Then draw a picture of all of influences that shape
your political beliefs and behaviors.
• For each influence, write how or why it influences
your political beliefs or behaviors.
• You have 10 minutes – you MUST draw/work the
ENTIRE time.
 AMERICAN POLITICAL SPECTRUM

Far-Left Far-Right
SOCIALISM LIBERTARIANISM
 POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
• Fewer voters are identifying as loyal to a party – 42% Independent in 2017!
 POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
• Process by which a person develops political beliefs and
behaviors
• Begins as soon as you are old enough to start listening to
others’ opinions and forming your own
• Attitudes and values start forming early in life
• It is a life long process – it never really ends
• A variety of agents influence and shape your political
beliefs & behaviors
 HOW DO WE DETERMINE OUR
POLITICAL BELIEFS:
Developing Political Beliefs
• PARENTS/Family ARE NUMBER 1
• Peers
• Schools and/or College Environment
• Social Environments – (religious or civic institutions)
• Location

Changing or Shifting Political Beliefs

• Marital status
• Economic status
• Level of education
• Major national events (9/11, Vietnam War, OKC Bombing)

• Hot-button social issues (abortion, same-sex marriage, treatment vs.

punishment, gun control)
 DEMOGRAPHICS OF PARTIES
• Race & Ethnicity
• Republicans – 49% whites, 55% white southern men who haven’t finished college
• Democrats – 80% African Americans, 65% Asian Americans and 56% Hispanic
• Gender
• Republicans - married men 51% (married women evenly split)
• Democrats – Women 52%, young & unmarried women 57% (men 51%)
• Education
• Republicans - PhDs – 49%
• Democrats – PostGrad Degrees – 57%, College unfinished – 47%
• Generation
• Republicans – Silent Generation – 47%
• Democrats – Millennials – 51%
• Religion
• Republicans – Mormons 48%, Evangelical Prots 46%
• Democrats – Nonreligious 36%, Jewish 41%
• Even split among white Catholics, mainline Prots
 GROUP AFFILIATIONS
• Party identification on a national stage based on :
• Geography - Dems: NE US & CA / Reps: South & Midwest US / hotly contested states are
SWING states
• Gender – 38% Dems & 26% Reps (switch from 1920)
• Race/Ethnicity – Dems: 65% AAs, >66% Hispanics
Reps: Cuban Americans
• Age – Reps: Middle-aged voters, Dems: Young voters and elderly voters
• Social/Economic – Occupation, income, education
• Income: Reps: High SES
• Occupation: Dems: trial lawyers, educators, blue-collar, union
Reps: executives, professionals, white collar, stay-at-home moms
• Religion – Dems: Catholic, Jewish
Reps: Mormons, white Protestants (Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians
• Marital Status – Reps: more married people /
Dems: never married and single people, widowed voters, divorced and
separated