Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Morrison, Emily

Committee Member

Jones, James D.

Committee Member

Dunaway, R. Gregory

Date of Degree

12-10-2010

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Sociology

Degree Name

Master of Arts

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Sociology

Abstract

This study tests the relationship of the 6 ideological variables and 7 contextual variables to shifts in ideological alignment through a latent class regression analysis for three periods of years (1972-1978, 1980-1992, 1993-2006). The latent class regression models determine the number of identifiable classes for each model. Using ideological realignment theory (Abramowitz and Saunders 1998) this study finds there has been a moderate polarization of opinions that has occurred, as well as, a moderate hardening of ideological beliefs with moral issues during the third time period becoming the driving force in ideological makeup. With regard to the culture wars hypothesis (Hunter 1991) there seems to be so much randomness in peoples overall ideological makeup that it hardly suggests a salient culture war is taking place. It also seems to matter very little what opinions individuals express on domain specific issues with regard to political ideology.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/17255

Comments

Latent Class Regression Analysis||moral issues||welfare||crime||political ideology||ideological realignment||conservatism||liberalism

Download

Share

COinS