Deck 10: Political Engagement

Question 1

Which of these best describes "One Percent" California?

A)access to great health care;well-paying,stable occupations in the information technology field
B)middle-class Americans employed in service and office sectors
C)one out of three households headed by a single parent;moderate exposure to crime
D)one-third of children live in poverty

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What is true of California's electorate--that is,those who vote?

A)They are an "exclusive,self-selected group" that does not broadly represent all eligible voters.
B)They are a group that broadly represents all Californians during presidential election years,but not during off-year elections.
C)It is a group that broadly represents all Californians in every election.
D)Over time,the electorate has been growing steadily,meaning that a greater percentage of people vote in elections today than 10,20,or 30 years ago.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of these best describes "Struggling" California?

A)"knowledge workers" who can pay the bills and reside in neighborhoods rich with amenities
B)middle-class Americans;generally able to pay the bills;employed in service and office sectors
C)mainly work in high-effort/low-reward,insecure jobs in sales and service;limited childcare
D)half of all children live below the poverty line

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Of these,which group of people pays closest attention to politics?

A)youth aged 18-24
B)adult Latinos
C)voters
D)those with only a high school diploma (or fewer years of education)

Question 5

Lobbyists who advocate for special interest groups are known collectively as ______.

A)the Third House
B)Progressives
C)the Consolidators
D)the Media Mavericks

Question 6

The political power of special interests is largely derived from what they can provide to decision makers,principally in the form of money,electoral support (supporters who will vote for them),and ______.

A)alcohol
B)paid vacations
C)campaign volunteers
D)information

Question 7

Which of these best describes "Elite Enclave" California?

A)"knowledge workers" who can pay the bills and reside in neighborhoods rich with amenities
B)one-third of children live in poverty
C)middle-class Americans;generally able to pay the bills;employed in service and office sectors
D)highest human development scores;average cost of home is $2.1 million

Question 8

Some people stop voting for less-recognizable,lower level offices as they work their way toward the end of ballots.This phenomenon is called ______.

A)low turnout
B)apathy
C)roll-off
D)polarization

Question 9

In what kind of activities do lobbyists or special interest "advocates" engage?

A)mostly illegal bribes
B)testifying about bills in committee;"educating" lawmakers about the effects of bills
C)participating in rallies and demonstrations consumes most of their time
D)recruiting individuals or businesses for membership in interest groups

Question 10

Turnout among all registered voters during the past five presidential elections (2000-2016)averaged ______.

A)35%
B)55%
C)75%
D)95%

Question 11

Which of these best describes "Disenfranchised" California?

A)"knowledge workers" who can pay the bills and reside in neighborhoods rich with amenities
B)middle-class Americans;generally able to pay the bills;employed in service and office sectors
C)mainly work in high-effort/low-reward,insecure jobs in sales and service;limited childcare
D)in survival mode;half of all children in poverty;over 20% of youth not in school

Question 12

Which of these best describes "Main Street" Californians?

A)great access to health care,and stable jobs that are mostly in information technology
B)middle-class Americans employed in service and office sectors;income mostly covers housing and health care
C)lowest human development scores
D)one-third of children live in poverty

Question 13

Which one of these terms refers to the way a person's attitudes,opinions,and beliefs are affected or shaped by the way public affairs are reported in the press?

A)framing effects
B)partisanship
C)polarization
D)infotainment

Question 14

Among these industries,which spends the most on lobbying in California?

A)technology (high-tech manufacturing)
B)entertainment (film,TV)
C)energy (oil and gas,electric utilities)
D)realty (property sales and management)

Question 15

The turnout rate of voters in the 18- to 24-year-old age group in November 2014 set a new low.What percentage of this age group voted in that election?

A)fewer than 10%
B)about 20%
C)about 40%
D)just over 50%

Question 16

About how many Californians are eligible but not registered to vote?

A)about 500,000
B)about 1 million
C)about 5 million
D)about 25 million

Question 17

Turnout among all those who are eligible to vote during the past five presidential elections (2000-2016)averaged about ______.

A)35%
B)55%
C)75%
D)95%

Question 18

Which of these groups is least likely to support a state sanctuary law,according to public opinion polls in California (2017)?

A)Californians who aren't registered to vote
B)registered Republican voters
C)all registered voters in California
D)Latino voters

Question 19

Businesses and employers are represented through associations that primarily ______.

A)organize rallies and demonstrations to bring attention to their causes
B)hire lobbyists to advocate for their causes and contribute to campaigns of sympathetic candidates
C)put people in contact with their representatives through "meet and greets"
D)organize volunteers to support their causes

Question 20

What is the definition for "political efficacy?"

A)another word for political interest
B)the feeling that one can personally make a difference by participating in public affairs
C)a measure of partisanship
D)a measurement for the efficiency of government

Question 21

Turnout during presidential election years is lower than in off-year,midterm elections.

Question 22

The California electorate (those who vote)reflect the size,growth,and diversity of the state's population quite accurately.

Question 23

Those who vote in an Assembly district election are a different group of people than those who vote in initiative elections.

Question 24

What makes a lobbyist effective?

A)channeling campaign donations to elected officials
B)knowing how to influence public opinion
C)providing information to policymakers
D)any of these

Question 25

Whites are approximately 40% of California residents,but close to 60% of all voters.

Question 26

If a person lives and works in an environment where politics and political affairs are rarely discussed,chances are,that person will not be a regular voter.

Question 27

Not participating in politics is purely a matter of choice;anyone who wants to vote,attend meetings,demonstrate or attend rallies,or make donations simply chooses not to do so.

Question 28

Almost no Californians aged 18-34 get their news from a printed newspaper.

Question 29

People who are highly educated,have higher income,and are older,tend to be heavy political news consumers,and also tend to be politically active.

Question 30

Outnumbering those who are in the "middle class" or "Main Street California" is the largest demographic group in California: those who are "Struggling" to hold it together.

Question 31

In California,those in prison or on parole are not eligible to vote.

Question 32

Many variables associated with nonvoting are also associated with immigration status.

Question 33

In off-year elections (non-presidential election years),fewer than half of those eligible to vote typically turn out to vote.

Question 34

More than 5 million eligible Californians are not registered to vote.

Question 35

Living and interacting often with others who talk about politics and who value the act of voting is a strong predictor of whether a person will vote or not.

Question 36

People who disengage from politics tend to be high-income wage earners who have better things to do with their time than try to influence politicians and policy decisions.

Question 37

Voters,residents,and citizens are essentially the same groups of people.

Question 38

"Disenfranchised" Californians (about 3% of the population)live in survival mode,experience marginalization and social exclusion daily,and reside in areas rivaling the poorest areas of West Virginia and Mississippi.

Question 39

In California,the "one percenters" and those who live in "elite enclaves" outnumber those who are considered "middle class."

Question 40

"Political efficacy" is the feeling that one can personally make a difference by participating in public affairs.

Question 41

Briefly describe "Disenfranchised" California?

Question 42

One of the largest and most influential business associations with ties to Republicans in California is ______.

Question 43

Briefly describe "Main Street" California.

Question 44

In "Struggling" and "Disenfranchised" households,youth are likely to be either not in school or unemployed.

Question 45

Education is positively associated with human development.

Question 46

"Framing effects" refers to the way attitudes,opinions,and beliefs are affected or shaped by the way public affairs are reported in the press.

Question 47

Those who cast ballots generally hold distinctly different views about the proper role of government than those who don't vote or don't register to vote.

Question 48

Local governments and public entities and agencies are among the most prolific,active,and influential special interests in Sacramento.

Question 49

One of the largest and most influential public employee associations with ties to Democrats in California is ______.

Question 50

Consistently,______ tend to be overrepresented in California's electorate,whereas ______ tend to be underrepresented.

Question 51

Legal permanent residents are eligible to vote in California.

Question 52

Briefly describe "Elite Enclave" California.

Question 53

To provide lawmakers with the information they may need in order to write or reshape bills,special interest groups hire professional ______ who can provide targeted information,persuasively.

Question 54

Briefly describe "Struggling" California.

Question 55

What personal characteristics are associated with political participation?

Question 56

Working to solve a problem with the neighbors is a good way to start getting involved in politics.

Question 57

Briefly describe "One Percent" California.

Question 58

Those at the very top of the human development scale,the "One Percent" Californians,live almost 10 years longer on average than the "Disenfranchised" at the other end of the scale.

Question 59

Struggling Californians tend to live on the coast,rather than in inland and rural areas of the state.

Question 60

Seventy percentage of those who contact their elected California officials are Latino/Hispanic.

Question 61

Name some of the ways in which special interests try to influence politics.

Question 62

What kinds of special interests are "privileged" in politics,and who loses?

Question 63

How are demographic (personal background)variables associated with political participation?

Question 64

Why don't people participate in politics? What variables are associated with nonparticipation?

Question 65

What demographic variables or characteristics are associated with not registering to vote?

Question 66

Briefly explain how age,education level,home ownership,nativity,and income are related to voter turnout rates.

Question 67

How do large membership organizations such as the CTA (California Teachers Association)try to influence politics?

Question 68

What persons over the age of 18 are not allowed to vote in California?

Question 69

Describe three forms of political or civic participation other than voting.

Question 70

Why are lobbyists in Sacramento collectively known as "the third house?"

Question 71

Generally speaking,what kinds of people pay attention to what's going on in government?

Question 72

What are the drawbacks of social networking for political purposes?

Question 73

In what kind of activities do professional lobbyists engage?

Question 74

Is there any evidence that the people who vote represent fairly those who do not vote?

Question 75

What kinds of media sources do Californians rely on for political information?

Question 76

What is a special interest group?

Question 77

Name some of the variables associated with turning out to vote.

Question 78

Suppose you are a successful homebuilder with many employees,and like other builders,your company will soon face a burdensome new regulation: in order to help keep the air and water clean,construction companies will now be required to capture or minimize the airborne dust and also contaminated run-off from construction projects (such as that created by rains).Like your peers (who are also represented through a strong and well-funded builder's association),you would like to avoid this costly new requirement.You believe it will cause you to lay off employees to cover these new costs.How might you try to go about trying to undo what has already become law?