Editing Social Structural Theories of Voting
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| − | + | This lecture was given in [[PS 240]] on 9/26 and continued on 9/29 briefly. | |
| − | + | '''Possible Exam Questions''' | |
| − | + | 1. List and describe the connections between voting and social predictors. | |
| − | + | 2. Explain dealignment / realignment, and list three realigning elections in the United States. | |
| − | + | 3. Describe Network Theory, discussing the influence of marriage, parents/children, and friends. | |
| − | + | '''Lecture Material''' | |
| − | + | We covered... | |
| − | Social context | + | Social context - Origins of our beliefs, etc. - instilled in us - our attitudes and the attitudes of others. |
| − | + | Politics - parties activate class identity, religious identity - based on how much support they gain. | |
| + | ''' | ||
| − | + | Connections between voting and social predictors''' | |
| − | + | 1. socio-economic | |
| − | + | 2. religion | |
| − | + | 3. ethnicity | |
| − | + | Three fundamental processes by which associations are formed | |
| − | + | 1. Differentiation - look at a group (group B)and see that they are different than us. Since we do not believe that way, we must be something else (group A). | |
| − | + | 2. Transmission - attention transmitted through authority figure to child (through friends, teachers, etc.) | |
| − | + | 3. Contact - direct contact with other members of the social group. | |
| − | + | Cross pressured, or cross cutting cleavages-when someone is of multiple indicators(socio-economic status, religion, and ethnicity) that contradict eachother. | |
| − | + | such as a baptist female, baptists are predominately right leaning, while females are left leaning. or a young cuban, cubans generally vote right, while a vast majority of young voters vote left. | |
| − | + | ''' | |
| − | + | Challenges: | |
| − | + | ''' | |
| − | + | Dealignment / Realignment (shifts or dramatic changes in political alignments) | |
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| − | Dealignment / Realignment | ||
Realigning elections in United States history | Realigning elections in United States history | ||
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| − | + | Reasons for realignment: | |
| − | + | class weakens | |
| − | + | increase in education | |
| − | + | greater amount of contact outside of our groups | |
| − | + | secularization (more so in Europe) | |
| − | + | Other challenges: | |
The Changing American Voter (from 1960's (published in 1970's)) - Vote more on issues instead of party; voters are sophisticated and more knowledgeable. It argues that the 1960's changed voting. | The Changing American Voter (from 1960's (published in 1970's)) - Vote more on issues instead of party; voters are sophisticated and more knowledgeable. It argues that the 1960's changed voting. | ||
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Class - service economy | Class - service economy | ||
| − | + | divide between public (generally left) and private (generally right) sector workers (blue collar vs. white collar) | |
-- less in US than Europe, where this can be a strong predictor | -- less in US than Europe, where this can be a strong predictor | ||
| − | + | post materialism | |
quality of life - environment, air quality, etc | quality of life - environment, air quality, etc | ||
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| − | + | Network Theory: | |
Who you are connected to, who you discuss politics with-- | Who you are connected to, who you discuss politics with-- | ||
| − | + | Micro level (how individuals interact); Macro level would be something like "How does the middle class vote?"-- | |
| − | + | Individuals weigh information they receive-- | |
| − | + | Social groups are not together all the time-- | |
| − | + | Strong ties vs. weak ties-- | |
| − | + | Strong ties include marriage, children, friends (close and acquaintances)-- | |
| − | + | Weak ties include how you might influence someone you do not know through another person | |
| − | + | (Example: If person A is married to person B and person B works with person C, even though person A has never met person C, they influence one another through person B.)-- | |
Chain of influences diminishes quickly--weak ties only have an effect when the individual is once removed, no more. | Chain of influences diminishes quickly--weak ties only have an effect when the individual is once removed, no more. | ||
More influence over disagreements than though agreements. The more diverse an individual's network is, the more knowledgeable and likely to participate s/he is likely to be. | More influence over disagreements than though agreements. The more diverse an individual's network is, the more knowledgeable and likely to participate s/he is likely to be. | ||
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