politics chapter 9

Political culture refers to the set of attitudes, beliefs, values, and orientations that people in a society hold toward politics and the political system. It shapes how citizens perceive authority, legitimacy, and participation.

Ideology is a more systematic set of political ideas that offer a program for change or governance, while political culture reflects the underlying, often unconscious, values and assumptions that guide political behavior within a society.

Parochial culture – citizens have little awareness of or participation in politics. Subject culture – citizens are aware of the political system but passive and deferential. Participant culture – citizens are active, informed, and involved in politics. A “civic culture” combines all three and sustains stable democracy.

A political culture that blends participation, trust, and deference to authority. It supports democratic stability by balancing citizens’ involvement with respect for institutions.

Distinct political value systems within the same society, such as religious, regional, ethnic, or class-based subcultures. These can create tension or diversity within the broader national culture.

The lifelong process through which individuals acquire political values, beliefs, and identities — through family, school, peers, media, and experiences.

Family, education system, peer groups, religion, work environment, and especially the media.

It shapes perceptions of leaders, issues, and institutions by framing narratives, selecting stories, and influencing what counts as “politically important.” Media can inform, mobilize, or manipulate public opinion.

The idea that real-time, 24-hour global media coverage can influence foreign policy decisions by pressuring governments to act quickly on humanitarian or crisis issues.

The process of presenting information in a particular way that emphasizes certain aspects of an issue, shaping how audiences interpret it.

The media’s ability to determine which issues receive public attention and political priority, not by telling people what to think, but what to think about.

The exchange of information and messages among political actors (leaders, media, public), which affects how citizens form opinions and how governments maintain legitimacy.

Mass media: traditional forms like newspapers, radio, and television with one-way communication. New media: digital, interactive, and decentralized forms (social media, online platforms) that enable two-way participation and user-generated content.

The existence of diverse media sources and viewpoints, allowing citizens access to varied information. It’s essential for healthy democratic debate.

When a few corporations or individuals own large parts of the media industry, reducing diversity and potentially limiting free debate.

The tendency for media outlets to favor particular ideologies, parties, or candidates through framing, story selection, or tone of coverage.

The blending of information and entertainment — using sensationalism or dramatization to attract audiences, often at the expense of serious political analysis.

A space for rational-critical debate among citizens where public opinion can form independently of state control — a cornerstone of democratic politics.

The use of the internet and digital technologies to expand citizen participation, transparency, and political accountability.

Their book The Civic Culture (1963) identified the link between participatory attitudes and stable democracy. They proposed that a balance between active engagement and respect for authority underpins democratic endurance.

In advanced societies, people shift from material concerns (security, income) to post-material values (self-expression, quality of life, human rights). This alters political culture and voting behavior.

He warns that commercialization of the media threatens the public sphere by replacing rational debate with consumption and spectacle, undermining participatory democracy.

The media helps maintain the dominance of ruling ideas by shaping what appears as “common sense,” thus preserving consent to existing power structures.

Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman argue that media serves elite interests through “filters” such as ownership, advertising, sourcing, flak, and anti-communist or ideological bias, limiting genuine dissent.