5. Analysts sometimes use the words such as liberal, conservative, populist, and
libertarian to describe how ordinary Americans think about politics. These are
ideological terms, as are terms such as socialism and communism. An ideology is
a consistent pattern of political attitudes that stem from a core belief. The core
belief of socialism, for example, is that society should ensure that every person's
basic economic needs are met. Accordingly, a socialist would support public
policies that provide for economic security, such as a government-guaranteed
annual income for all families.