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American Political Culture
American Federal Government
Political Culture
• Definition A basic set of shared values, attitudes and
beliefs that differentiate Americans from citizens of other countries
How are we differentiated?Different founding principles to our western
European counterpartsCity on a Hill
Characteristics of American Political Culture
• Protestant Work Ethic• Equality of opportunity, not outcome• Individual responsibility • Mistrust of government & governmental power• Limited government• Religion and faith • Providence, abundance, and Manifest Destiny• Associationalism and civic duty
Common Beliefs
• Classical Liberalism - belief in individual rights, limited government, representative government; strong support for the Constitutional system as a break upon simple majoritarianism.
• Progressive Liberalism - Changed economic circumstances leads to increased government power as necessary to protect liberty and equality.
American Political Culture Compared
• High confidence in political institutions
• Lower confidence in people running political institutions
• Religiosity
• Declining sense of political efficacy
Confidence in Institutions:
America and Europe Compared
77
69
84 858683
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Congress(Parliament)
Courts Press Business ArmedForces
Church
Per
cent
US
Great Britain
Germany
France
Spain
Confidence in People Running
American Institutions
42
50
41
29
55
16
29
19
23 2219
29
2018 18
10
28
12
1618
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Congress SupremeCourt
FederalBureaucracy
Press MajorCompanies
Pe
rcen
t
1966
1971-79
1980-89
1990-96
Religiosity: The United States Compared
(World Values Study, 1990s)
Respondents who say they are a religious person
82
72
69
64
55
54
48
29
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
US
Mexico
Canada
Spain
UK
Germany
France
Sweden
Percent
Religion is Important in My Life(Associated Press/IPSOS Poll, Summer 2005)
5564
37
54
8086
63
46 43
84
0102030405060708090
100
Austra
lia
Canad
a
Franc
e
Germ
any
Italy
Mex
ico
South
Kor
ea
Spain
United
Kin
gdom
United
Sta
tes
Religious Leaders Should/Should Not Try to Influence Government Decisions
(Associated Press/IPSOS Poll, Summer 2005)
22 2512 20 30 20 21 17 20
37
75 72
7275 63 77 68 76 77
61
0102030405060708090
100
Austra
lia
Canad
a
Franc
e
Ger
man
y Ita
ly
Mex
ico
South
Kor
ea
Spain
Unite
d Kin
gdom
Unite
d Sta
tes
Per
cen
t (%
)
Should Not
Should
But are we evolving?
• Substantive changes in the United States over the last fifty years– Race– Gender– Population Migration– Change in type of employment
• What does it mean
Population Change in the US1980-2000
Class in American Politics?
• Most Americans believe they are in the middle class– What is the definition? Gingrich vs. Clinton
• Tolerance for income inequality
• More of a predictor as for who is going to be mobilized and vote than race, gender or ethnicity.
Changes in U.S. Occupational Structure
Changes in Where We Live
Race & Ethnicity
• Blacks/African-Americans– migration, political protest, civil rights– issue divisions
• Latinos/Hispanics – diversity as a group– low political mobilization
• exception? South Florida
2000 Presidential Vote by Ethnicity
White Black Hispanic Asian
42
54
90
9
65
35
55
41
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Per
cen
t (%
)
White Black Hispanic Asian
Gore Bush
Gender in American Politics
• The Gender Gap– a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting
differences in views between men and women
• Example:
--> Sexual Harassment in the workplace – 24% of men say it is a serious problem
– 38% of women say it is a serious problem (ICPSR /ANES 1992 pre/post election surveys)
Gender Gap in Voting: 2000 Election, Gore/Bush
53
4243
54
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Bush Gore
Per
cen
t
Men Women
Religion in American Politics
• Secularism and protest
• Values, culture, and moral issues– abortion
• Rise or Demise of the Christian Right?– The GOP connection
Membership in the Christian Coalition, 1989-95
0200000
400000600000
8000001000000
12000001400000
16000001800000
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
Year
Num
ber o
f Mem
bers
Ideology: Moderates Carry the Day
50 States, 50 Cultures???
• While there are general ideological principles that create American political culture, there are also variations
• Certain areas of the country are distinctly different than others
• Political scientists have attempted to systematically categorize states
State Culture Typologies
• Moralistic States– Rooted in New England, but they have spread
to the northern Midwest as well– Higher belief in the public good, which can
take root in a number of different issues– Town halls and meetings– Civic participation
State Culture Typologies
• Individualistic States– Rooted in the mid-Atlantic states and for the
most part it has remained in the east coast– Culture of these states values material gain for
the individual– Civic participation is not viewed as critical to
the success of government– Laissez-Faire government is favored
State Culture Typologies
• Traditionalistic States– Developed in the original southern states and
slowly crept as far as Texas– Values a strong social hierarchy in which there
is a clear ranking of citizens– Government is viewed as a protector of the
culture– Policies protect the elite
So where does Texas fit?
• Texas would be categorized as a traditionalistic state, but to do so would minimize the legitimate differences
• Historically Texas state government has not tolerated diversity and believes in upholding agrarian principles
• Cultural differences within Texas
Introductory Themes and American Political Culture
•Why does our system work so well?
•Political PowerAuthority Legitimacy
Conceptions of Democracy
• Democratic Centralism
• Direct Democracy
• Representative Democracy popular sovereigntycitizen demands and government action participation deliberationmajority rule
Majority Rule: Good or Bad?
• No guarantee of good decisions
• Majority tyranny can threaten minorities
• Apathy toward politics
Who Really Governs?
• Different approachesMarxist Elitist Bureaucratic Pluralist
