Deck 15: Politics and Policies

Question 1

__% of people aged 70 and over considered voting "a very important obligation."

A) 93
B) 63
C) 43
D) 23

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following statements regarding seniors and voting is true?

A) The proportion of people who vote gradually decreases as age increases, with a sharp decline in late old age, usually due to poor health.
B) The proportion of people who vote remains constant across all age groups.
C) The proportion of people who vote increases in youth (18-39), decreases in middle age (40-55) and increases in old age.
D) The proportion of people who vote increases with age and only declines in late old age.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Among people aged 75 and over, declines in voting occur mostly due to

A) lack of interest.
B) poor health or disability.
C) lack of transportation.
D) a lack of political affiliations.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Binstock (2009) looked at the voting patterns of older people and found that older Americans

A) have not shown any tendency to vote as a bloc.
B) have become homogenized in self-interest and political behavior.
C) compared with men, women have a higher proportion of voters and show less decline in voting with increased age.
D) who have larger incomes also show a greater tendency to vote.

Question 5

Studies of voting show that voting participation

A) increases with education and decreases with income.
B) increases with education and income.
C) decreases with education but increases with income.
D) decreases with education and income.

Question 6

Which of the following facts regarding voting is true?

A) A higher proportion of older whites compared to minorities report voting.
B) A higher proportion of Hispanics compared to African Americans and whites report voting.
C) A higher proportion of African Americans compared to Hispanics and whites report voting.
D) Older Asians are most likely to vote.

Question 7

__% of people age 70 and over consider voting an act of patriotism.

A) 12
B) 48
C) 76
D) 94

Question 8

Pew Research reported that, compared with older cohorts, hold the most conservative views.

A) minority group elders
B) young women
C) young men
D) Baby Boomers

Question 9

________ as a group report a slightly more liberal tendency than older cohorts on economic and social issues

A) Baby Boomers
B) Middle-aged men
C) Young women
D) Young men

Question 10

Some writers predict that the growing numbers of older people will form a voting bloc and gain control of local and national politics (and of government budgets).

A) This assumption appears true because older people have consensus on a wide range of issues.
B) This assumption appears true because older people become more radical with advancing age.
C) This assumption appears false because people age 65 and over hold varied political beliefs and differ by social class, race, and gender.
D) This assumption appears false because older people tend to vote less than other age groups.

Question 11

Older people as a group have influenced government in the recent past

A) through voting as a bloc on social programs.
B) through their growing numbers and increased lobbying activity.
C) through their roots in the community and influence over voting family members.
D) by voting for older presidents, like Bush and Reagan, who are sympathetic to their concerns.

Question 12

The structure of the political system

A) denies access for many older people to hold office.
B) privileges younger, more dynamic politicians.
C) cannot be proven to discriminate by age.
D) creates a seniority system, where older politicians tend to move toward higher positions over time.

Question 13

Gerontologists disagree on whether ________ can form the basis of a social movement.

A) gender
B) income
C) race
D) age

Question 14

Schultz and Binstock describe three forms of political power available to senior advocacy groups. These are 1) access to the elected, 2) access to the media, and 3)

A) access to money.
B) the electoral bluff.
C) a lifetime of experiences.
D) access to studies.

Question 15

Lobby groups like the AARP also play a role in

A) educating and motivating older voters to support legislation.
B) enforcing complance within the voting bloc.
C) facilitating the decisions of the government.
D) building a movement for older people.

Question 16

According to Binstock (1997), whatever ________ chooses to do (or not do) tends to define the overall position of the old-age lobby.

A) the AARP
B) NARFE
C) the Townsend Movement
D) the National Council on Aging

Question 17

The name of the organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for older Americans through information, advocacy, and service is

A) the National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSC).
B) the National Caucus and Center for Older People (NCCOP).
C) the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).
D) the National Retired Persons Association (NRPA).

Question 18

________ attracts its large membership because it has a low membership fee and it offers services to its members.

A) The National Council on Aging
B) The National Institute on Health
C) AGE
D) The AARP

Question 19

Gilleard and Higgs (2009) say that the AARP functions less as ________ and more as ________.

A) an advocacy organization; consumer's movement
B) consumer's movement; advocacy organization
C) social activity; social service
D) research institute; social activity

Question 20

Which of the following is not a factor contributing to the stifled impact of senior advocacy groups on policy making?

A) The layout of congressional committees and government agencies force senior groups to spread their efforts in Washington.
B) Many advocacy members die before they can effectively implement their strategies or gain enough political clout to initiate change.
C) Many members join for self-interested reasons not for political aims.
D) Senior groups show surges and declines in support from its members.

Question 21

Which of the following dampens the strength of seniors' voting and lobbying efforts?

A) the general public and politicians feel that those age 65 and over only have short-term problems
B) older people spend more time defending existing public programs and not creating new opportunities for the future
C) the proportionately small population of people age 55 and up
D) the diverse views of the older population

Question 22

Which of the following statements regarding the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage 408 Act (MCCA) of 1988 is true?

A) Older people approved of this legislation and saw it as the greatest expansion of Medicare since its establishment in 1965.
B) Older people approved of this legislation even though it meant paying an extra $800 a year for its benefits.
C) Older people rejected this legislation because it only addressed acute care and not more costly forms of care like nursing homes.
D) Older people rejected this legislation because it represented the decline of government-sponsored health care.

Question 23

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) focuses on issues that concern mostly

A) upper-class executives and businessmen.
B) middle-class professional retirees.
C) blue-collar, working class retirees.
D) minority and poor older people.

Question 24

Compassionate ageism

A) recognizes the complexity of older people's needs.
B) is the belief that older people are needy and deserve special policies to help them.
C) views older people as gentle, consensus oriented, and not willing to fight for their interests.
D) views older people as wise, intelligent people able to give over their own happiness and well-being in favor of benefiting the overall society.

Question 25

Compassionate ageism led to legislation that improved Social Security, put in place the Older Americans Act, and

A) created Medicare.
B) formed the AARP.
C) repealed the MCCA.
D) supported the needs of wealthier older people.

Question 26

Cases such as ________ show that the AARP considers the reaction of its members when it makes policy decisions.

A) PAS
B) the MCCA and the MMA
C) the Older Americans Act
D) the ADEA

Question 27

Activism complements the work of

A) minority groups.
B) religious organizations.
C) advocacy groups.
D) the government.

Question 28

Activism allows older people to

A) address broader social issues by working for fundamental social change.
B) feel active and vocal although activism has been proven to be counterproductive to seniors' best interests.
C) work within the system to reform or support existing programs.
D) play a bigger role in shaping legislation and policy.

Question 29

The ________ is a national organization of older activists dedicated to social change.

A) AARP
B) National Council on Aging
C) Area Agencies on Aging
D) Gray Panthers

Question 30

Federal, state, and local governments now have a web of agencies, policies, and programs to serve older people. These services grew without a plan into what Hudson (2010) calls the aging

A) puzzle.
B) web.
C) maze.
D) network.

Question 31

The government's position on aging has led to the creation of a safety net that

A) confuses the people it attempts to serve.
B) provides a range of services to older people.
C) best serves those who need it most: the poor and minority older persons.
D) has become the model for other developed countries, particularly Canada and England.

Question 32

Congress introduced the ________ in 1965 with the goal of "assuring the well-being of the elderly."

A) Older Americans Act (OAA)
B) Administration on Aging (AOA)
C) National Aging Act (NAA)
D) Seniors Service Act (SSA)

Question 33

Rather than coordinate all community programs under one agency or authority, all parts of government in the future will

A) continue their policy of incremental and piecemeal growth.
B) ease accessibility and assist seniors in navigating through the web of programs.
C) create their own agencies independent of the federal government.
D) adjust their programs to meet older people's needs.

Question 34

Critics of current policy say that government programs should serve people based on their needs, not their age. The problem with this view is it

A) is biased toward the middle class and fails poorer older people.
B) unintentionally labels older people as poor, immobile, and a burden.
C) would single out the poor and could give basic services the stigma of welfare.
D) encourages many older people to define themselves as needy.

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT one of the three assumptions that underlie the generational equity debate?

A) Money that goes to reduce poverty among older people has diverted money away from dealing with child poverty and education.
B) Older people get an unfair share of the nation's resources.
C) Younger people pay higher taxes for Social Security today but will get little benefit from the system when they retire.
D) A larger older population will place an intolerable burden on younger people.

Question 36

________ has done more to alleviate poverty and inequality among old people than any other government program.

A) Social Security
B) The tax system
C) Welfare
D) Medicaid

Question 37

Between 1959 and the mid-1990s, the poverty rate in older people dropped by

A) 1/4.
B) 1/3.
C) 2/3.
D) 3/4.

Question 38

At the same time that poverty has decreased for older people, poverty among ________ has increased.

A) minorities
B) children
C) women
D) Baby Boomers

Question 39

________ proposes cuts to programs for older people to free up money for the young.

A) The AARP
B) AGE
C) The federal government
D) The National Institute on Aging

Question 40

The federal government has raised the age for full Social Security eligibility and has also increased Social Security taxes. These changes will

A) lead to an increase in poverty rates.
B) cause problems for older people.
C) allow Social Security to be solvent until 2077.
D) not do anything to allow the Social Security trust fund to grow.

Question 41

Public policies related to Social Security need to change now to prepare for future demands. Changes will include all but

A) an adjustment of benefit levels.
B) further decreases in payroll taxes.
C) an increase in the retirement age.
D) an increase in payments into the system.

Question 42

Studies of intergenerational conflict

A) show good reason for concern about increased age-related tensions, especially in states like Florida.
B) from the AARP indicates that Americans have generally supportive attitudes toward the elderly.
C) find little support for predictions of intergenerational conflict in the future.
D) indicate that simplistic dichotomies like old versus young are really myths.

Question 43

Cook (2002) reports that __% of people in all age groups support Social Security in its present form or as an expanded version.

A) 20
B) 50
C) 90
D) 100

Question 44

________ work(s) to make age-based groups into a common cause.

A) Civic ventures
B) Generations United
C) Americans for Generational Equity
D) The Concord Coalition

Question 45

In the future the political power of older people and their ability to affect the basic operations of society will come from their

A) ability to vote as a bloc.
B) strength in advocacy.
C) radical activism.
D) increased population.

Question 46

Minkler (1991) proposes the idea of ________ as a way to view relations between different age groups.

A) generational interdependence
B) generational equity
C) generational conflict
D) the age gap

Question 47

Torres-Gil (1992) proposes some reforms of public policies that would dampen real and potential age group conflict. Government policies should

A) favor policies for the young over the old because the young have a greater long-term stake in society.
B) favor vertical alliances across age groups based on common needs.
C) favor policies for seniors because they built the current society and deserve preferential treatment.
D) encourage competition between age groups in order to assess the strengths and weakness of each.

Question 48

Instead of unique programs for older people to take part in, Maggie Kuhn (Kerschner, 1976) suggests that seniors should

A) argue for cheaper airfares and lower taxes for themselves.
B) become advocates and activists for a better society.
C) engage in interest group politics.
D) construct social programs and policies to serve their needs.