All of these social groups are correctly matched with the political party that members of that social group are considered most likely to vote for. African Americans, women, and people living in cities have recently been more likely to vote for a candidate from the Democratic Party. White men, very wealthy individuals, devout protestants, and people from rural backgrounds have recently been more likely to vote Republican.

Libertarianism is a political philosophy that takes its name from original liberalism. Libertarians believe that the government should be very small and have limited powers. They favor a completely free and unregulated economy and believe the government should not be able to interfere in social or private life, or regulate personal liberty.

Keynesian economic theory is derived from the writings of British economist John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s. The theory primarily contends that the government should wield greater economic influence during times of recession and depression to aid the recovery of the economy. As an economic theory, it was most influential during the Great Depression, but has seen a resurgence during the recent recession of the early twenty-first century.

Rational-choice theory states that when picking a candidate for any branch of government, the voter is most likely to pick a candidate that will best serve his or her interests. For example, a wealthy person is most likely to vote for someone who will protect the interests of the wealthy. This is in contrast to the more ideological notion that a voter should pick a candidate who will serve the greatest good for the country.

Jefferson wrote about inalienable rights which were given to people by their creator. He also went on to describe that no government should have the authority to infringe on these rights. Much of the Declaration of Independence revolves around the idea of protecting the rights of individuals.

Many enlightenment writes challenges the authority of long established monarchs. Locke and Rousseau argued that government should be based on the consent of the governed, this is a fundamental idea behind a number of constitutional elements of American democracy.

Political socialization is the term given to the transmission of political beliefs and ideology from one generation to the next. Specifically, it refers to the fact that young people, more often than not, adopt the beliefs and voting patterns of their parents.

A person's political beliefs, being multifaceted and complicated, are shaped by a variety of factors, including religious background, education, employment history, and income level. In fact, almost anything, from homeownership to family size, has a direct influence on a person's voting behavior and political involvement.

The issue of gun ownership and gun rights is most likely to create a massive gender gap in the pattern of voting. Women are generally against gun ownership, whereas men are generally in favor of it; of course, this is a broad generalization. Perhaps surprisingly, there is a small, but not massive, gender gap on issues such as women’s rights and gay rights.

Followers of Judaism are by far the most likely religious group in contemporary America to have liberal opinions on issues and to vote for liberal candidates. The religious right, predominantly Southern Protestants, are the most likely group to vote conservatively on issues.