That Influence Opinion Formation. Different social circumstances lead Americans to hold different political opinions. A. Class and Income. Income impacts the way people view politics, with low income people, for example, being more favorable to liberal economic policies. B. Race and Ethnicity.
Religion appears to have three major effects on attitudes.
The less religious one is, the more liberal one tends to be. Members of a society's dominant religion tend to be more conservative. The more religious one is, the more conservative one is likely to be. American Political Culture. The American public's political perspective is shaped by three key variables.