The United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world. When people look at public opinion they try to understand what the people believe about politics and policy issues. Public opinion is especially complex in the United States because it has lots of different groups with a great variety of opinions, and it is made even more complex by the fact that many Americans are not very informed about the issues, and they may have contradictory attitudes about different things. In a democracy, the tendency is that the least informed voters are the least likely to participate in the political process that leads to inequalities. The most valuable tool we have in measuring the population of the United States – the census – was put in the Constitution when it was first written. Every ten years, the U.S. Census Bureau gathers data about America. Over time, the United States has become more and more diverse. The numbers recorded from the census are used to redistribute representation between states and to decide where the district boundaries are for people to vote for their congressman. …show more content…
The most important factor is family. Family is the primary agent of political socialization. This is how people come to understand what they are going to believe about different political issues.
There are other agents out there, other than family. More and more, as people watch more television, and spend more time on the internet; the mass media has turned into almost a “second family” and can drive political beliefs as well. Schools act as a socializing agent, putting forth the ideals of a community into its young people. Politics is a lifetime activity, and as we become older, we not only become more firm in our political beliefs, but we tend to participate in politics more
The process of political socialization is vital in the developing of how one views politics, the way they act or choose not to act, and how they identify within the political system. Although countless influences sway or attract us to a given political view, party, or identification, there are undoubtedly certain factors that play a bigger role in this process. Some of the most prominent agents of political socialization are as follows; family, media, peers, education, religion, faith, race, gender, age, geography, and socioeconomic status. We know these develop or determine our views of politics but now we’ll look at how and why they have such an impact.
The United States of America is a fast paced and resourceful country; the issues are constantly changing as the opinions of political officials and the people change. I believe that the current main three issues in the United States are the economy, the constant threat of terrorism, and corruption in politics. I would advise a candidate to draw attention to the 17 trillion dollar debt, and emphasize its looming relevance over our country. The United States cannot be entirely free if we are indebted to multiple countries. Paying down the debt will not necessarily be favorable with most US citizens since one of the only ways to pay back such a large amount is to raise taxes. Additionally, it would be unwise of a candidate to state that their intentions are to
When speaking of politicians we have to look at the local and federal officials. We are living in a world today as to where other countries have lost assurance in our federal government. It’s evident that we now live in a world of chaos faced with a lot of different controversial issues. A vast part of this reason is due to decisions made by our politicians. A typical example is the inadequacy of health care this has been a huge controversial topic that affects millions of people. Children and adults lack in health care while many families struggle to earn a living and America’s families are being denied the chance to achieve the American Dream. The Bible teaches us to respect our parents, the elderly and those placed in authority. Therefore
Have you ever thought about a person in your life that influenced you on how you perceive life and politics? Everyone had some type of guidance’s that help them become person that they are today. Political socialization is a process in which people form their ideas about politics. This process is a lifelong development of a person political values. A large range of things can play a factor on a person train of thought. As an adolescent, my family played a major role on developing my attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors that's needed to be a law-abiding citizen. Today I will inform you on political socialization process, relations to political socialization to the stability of public opinion, and also provide my personal experience on political socialization.
Throughout history there has always been issues among the government and everyday issues of the people of the United States, but nowadays we have many problems among us that we can’t quite make decisions on like many of past problems. Things that we can’t decide if it’s constitutional or not. So throughout this paper were going to decide what is constitutional and what isn’t about major modern day issues such as: school attendance when under the age of 16 and the laws requiring the every American citizen to have health care. Two major problems that us American’s just can’t quite find a happy medium to.
There are a few agents that make up political socialization, the first and most important being the influence of family. Most people have the same beliefs that their parents hold government politics and certainly extended family can have an influence, and brother and sisters can
Political Socialization in definition is formed by the ideas and beliefs that individuals develop over time that help mold their attitudes and values about our national government. In fact, most individuals that form their political values are heavily influenced by their family, classmates or coworkers in many cases. Individuals truly only know what they are taught at a young age until they are mature enough to develop and maintain their own thoughts and beliefs about our administration. It would be fair to say that I was molded in to a democrat for most of my young life and that was the extent of my political opinion for a number of years. Nothing more than stating what political party I belonged to and who to vote for when the election took
On January 27th 2017, exactly one week after being inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States; Donald Trump signed an executive order immediately suspending America’s refugee program, and barring entry from any people from the following seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. This decision was immediately met with global outrage, with many people and politicians alike lambasting President Trump, labeling his order as ‘discriminatory’ and ‘un-American’. Though it is easy to be consumed by the social dogma presented in today’s media, I think it is important for people to take a step back and view situations such as this with an impartial mind, blocking out the conjecture, and simply focusing on the
My parents were oblivious when it came to politics so they never passed their views on to me. My father grew up in the back woods of Louisiana and did not have the accessories of TV and internet. My mother grew up here in Houston in a very poor area so her parents never focused on politics. I learned most of what I know now from social networks and school. Although school taught me a great deal on politics I never took it seriously because of social media.
Globalization continues to be present in and influence every aspect of our lives. We now we cannot stop it, but we have not caught up to it yet. America has become complacent in their status and ability. After so long of being on top, suddenly we are not. Times have changed and the country no longer enjoys the edge it once had. We must innovate once again and invest in our future. The United States has not kept pace in the face of globalization and must get back on track to remain a leader in the trade, financial and scientific world.
Similar to many of the things we are introduced to growing up as humans, our political knowledge is one of the things that does not derive from one specific source. Our thoughts on politics is constantly evolving and maturing as we encounter different agents throughout our lives. These agents of political socialization include our family, our education, the media, and many more. They shape our values and beliefs from the moment we are born to the moment we die. Our family environment contributes to our interest in politics in the future, our education teaches us the fundamentals of American government and politics, and lastly the media continuously shapes our view of the government. All three of these agents, are crucial in allowing us to understand ourselves and our beliefs today.
Family : As told 71% knew their parents’ party identification and shared most identification with their parents. For example my parents’ and I share many familiar thoughts based on political ideas. With becoming a side between the democrats and republicans, I knew for a fact I was a democrat just like my parents. Not only do we share thoughts and ideas but we are able to see the rights and the wrongs of many political talks.
People are not born with political ideas, nor do we build them. We learn them through an undertaking called Political Socialization. From the beginning of our early childhood and throughout our lives we are exposed to Political ideas through many different ways. It is how people identify personal beliefs and expectations in American politics. The most easiest way to be exposed to politics is family, peers, schooling, church, mass media and political parties. The way a person is impacted into political socialization is mainly through family, when we are younger we come to find out our parents beliefs and value system are brought up around these beliefs are forced in unconscious and conscious. This is where it all begins as a person starts to
In the United States, elections can be the deciding factor in ones political career. In recent times, congressional elections have not only become increasingly important, but also more expensive. The expense is often considered a result of modern times, however it results in many people being unable to run for a political position. This begs the question of who might be running for a political position if the price wasn 't so high, would it be a more common person who relates more to the people. Often incumbents, those currently in office, are able to edge out competitors because of money. The price of elections can also affect issues that are covered by politicians.
Many citizens as me have learned our values through a process that is known as political socialization. Political socialization is a process in which individuals acquire the information, beliefs, attitudes and values that help comprehend the workings of a political system and place themselves within in it. In other words, it is the way we