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6.6: Key Terms

  • Page ID
    153889
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    agent of political socialization
    a person or entity that teaches and influences others about politics through use of information
    bandwagon effect
    increased media coverage of candidates who poll high
    Bradley effect
    the difference between a poll result and an election result in which voters gave a socially desirable poll response rather than a true response that might be perceived as racist
    classical liberalism
    a political ideology based on belief in individual liberties and rights and the idea of free will, with little role for government
    communism
    a political and economic system in which, in theory, government promotes common ownership of all property, means of production, and materials to prevent the exploitation of workers while creating an equal society; in practice, most communist governments have used force to maintain control
    covert content
    ideologically slanted information presented as unbiased information in order to influence public opinion
    diffuse support
    the widespread belief that a country and its legal system are legitimate
    exit poll
    an election poll taken by interviewing voters as they leave a polling place
    fascism
    a political system of total control by the ruling party or political leader over the economy, the military, society, and culture and often the private lives of citizens
    favorability poll
    a public opinion poll that measures a public’s positive feelings about a candidate or politician
    heuristics
    shortcuts or rules of thumb for decision making
    horserace coverage
    day-to-day media coverage of candidate performance in the election
    leading question
    a question worded to lead a respondent to give a desired answer
    margin of error
    a number that states how far the poll results may be from the actual preferences of the total population of citizens
    modern conservatism
    a political ideology that prioritizes individual liberties, preferring a smaller government that stays out of the economy
    modern liberalism
    a political ideology focused on equality and supporting government intervention in society and the economy if it promotes equality
    overt content
    political information whose author makes clear that only one side is presented
    political culture
    the prevailing political attitudes and beliefs within a society or region
    political elite
    a political opinion leader who alerts the public to changes or problems
    political socialization
    the process of learning the norms and practices of a political system through others and societal institutions
    public opinion
    a collection of opinions of an individual or a group of individuals on a topic, person, or event
    push poll
    politically biased campaign information presented as a poll in order to change minds
    random sample
    a limited number of people from the overall population selected in such a way that each has an equal chance of being chosen
    representative sample
    a group of respondents demographically similar to the population of interest
    socialism
    a political and economic system in which government uses its authority to promote social and economic equality, providing everyone with basic services and equal opportunities and requiring citizens with more wealth to contribute more
    straw poll
    an informal and unofficial election poll conducted with a non-random population
    theory of delegate representation
    a theory that assumes the politician is in office to be the voice of the people and to vote only as the people want
    traditional conservatism
    a political ideology supporting the authority of the monarchy and the church in the belief that government provides the rule of law

    6.6: Key Terms is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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