The Content of a Political Culture (Continued).

Other basic political beliefs comprising a society's political culture are perceptions of the average citizen's personal political effectiveness and of the government's responsiveness to the needs and demands of citizens. These are widespread perceptions regarding the answers to the following questions:

      Is the government a set of dependable social institutions
      amenable to the influence of citizens, or is it an unpre-
      dictable and threatening force?

      Can the individual citizen's participation in political
      activity be effective and personally rewarding, or is such
      activity a meaningless and useless ritual and therefore a
      waste of time and energy?

      Can the process of governmental decisionmaking and action
      be understood and impacted on by the average citizen, or is
      it a highly complex phenomenon that confuses and overwhelms
      the citizen and is therefore beyond his ability to compre-
      hend and influence?

      Are elected officeholders in the government aware of and
      responsive to the vital concerns and interests of the
      voters, or do they lose touch with the citizenry very soon
      after an election, ignoring popular views and demands until
      the next election?

      Does the individual citizen have a civic duty and moral ob-
      ligation to take an active part in the political life of
      the community, or does political reality justify his assum-
      ing an attitude of indifference towards politics and public
      affairs?

Some of the fundamental beliefs of a society are perceptions of the nature of the overall political society and of the society's internal components and their relationships. Such perceptions provide answers to these questions:

      Do the people dwelling within the political jurisdiction
      constitute a single nation, or are they divided into many
      nationalities or tribal groups?

      If an ethnic majority and an ethnic minority dwell within
      the same political jurisdiction, can the two groups live in
      peace, or must they constantly be at war with each other?

      Does the individual owe his political allegiance primarily
      to the nation as a whole, or does he owe allegiance mainly
      to a clan or tribe, a local community, a region, a social
      class, or a religious sect?

Basic political beliefs, in short, are notions about what exists in the political environment. They are "pictures of political reality." They are pictures which the members of a political society carry in their minds and which help determine their political behavior, including the type of government they support or tolerate and their reactions to the authoritative decisions and actions of that government.