Objective: Explain how the ideologies of the two major parties shape policy debates.

Starter: Who is more ideologically extreme, the average American or the average American voter?

1.How accurate was your prediction?

2.How surprising is this information?

3.What is the big story these charts tell?

4.Why do you think ideologically extreme people tend to vote more than ideological moderates?

5.What is one consequence this information?

6.Explain whether this is good or bad news.

7.What effects do you imagine this information had on the 2016 election?

8.Is there any mechanism in the way Americans vote that helps amplify the extreme vote?

9.Explain why conservatives are more likely to vote than liberals.

10.Do the voting habits of people you know generally conform to the data from the chart?

11.Only about 1/4 of moderate Americans actually vote. Should moderate Americans vote?

Recap: ​Explain the quality and credibility of claims based on public opinion data.

Review: Let's go take a walk

Practice Questions

Quiz Today: Public Opinion Polls

As this is difficult to read, you can download this chart here.

Word of the Day

Ideological
  • Define it
  • Use an example
  • Think of someone you know who is ideological?
  • To what extent do you consider President Trump to be ideological?

Major U.S. Political Ideologies

Ideology (Government role in Economy, Government Role in Social Life)
Liberal (+,-)
Conservative (-,+)
Libertarian (-,-)

Lecture: Comparison of Political Ideologies

Begin this chart as we introduce the contemporary U.S. ideologies.  You will need to do additional research to complete it.

How Do We Vote?

2016 Exit Poll Data
Link: NY Times Also check previous election years to find trends over time.
Using demographic information above, your knowledge, and the Internet, predict how each of the following people will vote:
  1. I am a female Jewish lawyer who lives in New York City.
  2. I am a white male Protestant banker who lives in Charlotte, NC.
  3. I am a Latino male Catholic consultant who lives in Miami, FL.
  4. I am a black male agnostic teacher who lives in Las Vegas, NV.
  5. I am a white male entrepreneur from Jackson, MS who earns more than $250,000 a year.
  6. I am a white female waitress who lives in Cleveland, OH.
  7. I am a young Asian female engineer from Fairfax, VA.
  8. I am a retired black male Protestant police sergeant from Waco, TX.
  9. I am a white male rancher who lives in Cody, WY.
  10. I am a white pizza delivery high school dropout from Philadelphia, PA.
  11. Create the most strongly ideological person you can think of.

Closer: Explain how the ideologies of the two major parties shape policy debates.

On Deck

Next class: Ideology and Policy Making
Textbook Section 6.5 (pp. 182-183) and refer to Ch. 13
​Quiz Next Class: Public Opinion Polls