Interest Articulation
Exam # 1
During this section of the course we explore all of the aspects associated
with making demands upon the political system. We will explore this
phenomenon from a number of perspectives:
1) theoretically-- we'll always
ask: "What do the theories say about....."
2) empirically-- we'll always
ask: "What have social scientists
discovered about......" and "What can we discover about......"
3) comparatively-- we'll always
ask: "What happens in Ruritania about..."
Individual Interest
Articulation
one of the things to explore is the nature of individual political
participation
The first question to ask is:
Theoretically, how does each
one of the theories view individual participation?
1) Elite theory
2) Democratic Theory
3) Plural theory
Empirically, what have people
discovered?
The Hierarchy of Political Involvement
(L. Milbrath)
Milbrath discovered that Americans could be divided into
a relatively small number of categories (approximate percentages) when
it came to individual political participation:
Gladiators (1%)
holding public office
being a candidate
soliciting fundss
attending a caucus or strategy session
contributing time to a political campaign
Transitionals (3%)
attending a political meeting or rally
contributing money
contacting a political leader
Spectators (62 %)
button or bumper sticker
attempt to convince
vote
Apathetics (34%)
Which theoretical approach is supported by this data?
Messages American Get About Politics
(R. Reiter)
politics is individualistic
politics is private
politics is episodic
What Motivates People to Participate?
(Incentives)
psychic (ideological)
solidary (social)
material (financial)
Other Factors
Individual Attitudes, Values, Opinions, Beliefs
Political Socialization
Political Stimuli
|
Opinions
verbal expression of an attitude shaped by current expereince that
vary in: direction/ intensity/ stability
|
|
Attitudes
relatively enduring organization of interrelated beliefs that describe,
evaluate and advocate action
|
|
Values
normative statements of things thought to be desirable
|
|
Beliefs
an individual's description of his/ her environment
|
Public Opinion
how is it measured?
See MicroCase discussions of:
surveys
sampling
Attitudes We'll Explore
| Trust |
| Efficacy |
| Anomie
|
| Civic Duty |
Political Knowledge