Voter BehaviorLecture 6.1

A. Political Socialization is the process in which people acquire their political beliefs

B. Factors affecting socialization and voter behavior

1. ________________ is the strongest influence on socialization

a. party affiliation of ________ is important

b. today fairly equal influence of __________________________

2. Schools impart basic values to students

a. ie: civic duty, patriotism

b. colleges tend to have a “liberalizing” effects on students

3. Religion

a. Protestant-generally more conservative

emphasis on social issues

b. Catholic-traditionally more liberal; recent lean

toward conservative issues

c. Jewish-strong liberal influence

4. Race

a. Whites :slightly more conservative

b. Blacks: very strong liberal influence

-the most loyal democratic voters

c. Hispanic-Americans:

-Mexican, Puerto Rican more liberal

-Cuban more conservative

d. Asians:

-lean conservative on economic issues

5. Income/Social Class

-higher more conservative; lower liberal

6. Region

a. Liberalism dominant in the Northeast,

Midwest, and West Coast

b. Conservatism dominant in the South, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains

-including the “Bible Belt”

7. The “Gender Gap”

a. recent move towards liberalism for women

b. key issues (abortion, gun control)

c. increased emphasis on safety

-helicopter moms

8. The Coattail Effect- presence of an especially strong

presidential candidate on a ticket

9. Political Party Affiliation

-Very strong predictor of how one votes