Political Science: Agents of Political Socialization, Political Ideology, Public Opinion, Electoral College, Campaigns, Direct Democracy

Running head: POLITICAL SCIENCE
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note:

1POLITICAL SCIENCE
Identify and explain three primary agents of political socialization, and explain their
importance. Next, identify and explain three secondary agents of political socialization. Do
you think a person’s political opinion can change over time? Explain. [MO3.1]
Family, Media and Peers are mainly the three primary agents of the concept of political
socialization (Greenberg, 2017). The three secondary causes are Education, Religion and Faith.
Yes, it is possible for a person’s political opinion and ideas to change. It is often seen that the
people often change their previous political opinions due to various causes including the present
situation that is going on, influence from the peers and the friends and the development of one’s
ideology with time. These are the various reasons because of which the political opinions change
over time. The primary change in the ideology is mainly based on whether the person is right
wing or left wing, whether the person is nationalist or leftist and what is the final political verdict
of that person on various issues. Political socialization as already discussed are having influence
from various factors and agents.
Define political ideology and briefly define the following terms: libertarian, classical
liberal, modern liberal, traditional conservative, modern conservative, socialism,
communism, and fascism. [MO3.1]
Libertarian is an individual who trusts in the ideology of libertarianism or freedom
freewill. This is the ultimate expression of free will of the individuals. In classical liberalism the
theorists believe that the civil liberties should be maintained under rule of law but ensuring
economic freedom. Modern liberalism however prefers a mixed economy and the concept of
social justice The traditional conservatism is also often known as the classical conservatism
highlighting the need for the ideologies of a superior moral order, displayed through certain

2POLITICAL SCIENCE
natural laws to which the society must conform. Modern conservatism is an upgraded version of
the older conservatism and is more liberal in nature. Socialism is the idea of the society greater
than individual. Communism is the philosophy propounded by Karl Marx about the rule of the
Proletariat through revolution. Fascism is the rule of dictatorship.
Several factors play a role in a person’s interest and participation in government. List and
explain three of these factors and how they contribute to/detract from participation. Why is
it important for citizens to participate in the political process? [MO3.1, MO3.2]
The three factors that play important role in a person’s participation in the government are social
environment, political environment and the benefits of such participation. It is important for the
people to participate in the government because otherwise power will be concentrated in the
hands of a few people that will destroy the democratic nature.
Describe some of the problems surrounding public opinion polls. How does public opinion
influence public policy? [MO3.2]
Rather than truly concentrating on individuals' opinions, polls center around the activity
of casting a ballot in a setting that is a false theoretical — if the "poll were being held today,"
when it isn't. Pollsters do that, it is assumed, in light of the fact that they accept ought to
anticipate how the decision will turn out, as opposed to giving a reasonable photo of the
reasoning of the U.S. people. The opinion polls often do not match the ground reality because
voters often give varied expressions those are actually different from what they have actually
done with the ballot boxes. This is the reason that there are many problems surrounding the
opinion polls held by different reputed organizations. They often radically differ from what
actually takes place on the ground in reality.