Political Beliefs & Behaviors

	A body of attitudes, beliefs, and views pertaining to specific issues held by a significant proportion of a society at any point in time.
	The scientific study of population characteristics.
	A valuable tool for understanding demographic changes. In the U.S., the Constitution requires that the government conduct an "actual enumeration" of the population every 10 years.
	The mingling of diverse ethnic groups in America, including the idea that these groups are or should be merging into a single culture or people.
	The emergence of a non-Caucasian majority, as compared with a white, generally Angelo-Saxon majority. It is predicted that, by about 2060, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans together will outnumber white Americans
	An overall set of values widely shared within a society.
	The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives among the states every 10 years on the basis of the census results.
	1962 watershed case that established the principle of one person, one vote. This decision requires that each legislative district within a state have the same number of eligible voters so that representation is equitably based on population.
	Complex process by which people get their sense of political identity, beliefs, and values.
	The key technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers, which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample.
	A poll taken of a small percentage of voters as they leave the polls, used to forecast the outcome of an election or determine the reasons for voting decisions.
	The coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals
	A term that refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. Women tend to be significantly less conservative than men and are more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.
	All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. The most common, but not the only, means of political participation in a democracy is voting.
	A form of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics.
	A form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences.