Accessibility and the Political Utility of Partisan and Ideological Orientations

Abstract

We examine the accessibility of ideological and partisan orientations as factors affecting the political capacity of citizens. In particular, is the utility of partisan and ideological reasoning contingent on the accessibility of an individual's own self-identifications? Are people with accessible points of ideological and partisan orientation more likely to invoke these orientations in formulating political judgments and resisting efforts at political persuasion? Are they more likely to demonstrate politically compatible points of orientation? These questions are addressed in the context of a study conducted during the course of the 1996 election campaign. In order to measure the accessibility of respondents' partisan and ideological self-identifications, we record response latencies-the time required for respondents to answer particular questions. Based on our analysis, we argue that attitudes and self identifications are useful heuristic devices that allow individuals to make sense out of the complexity and chaos of politics. But some citizens are better able than others to employ these devices, and by demonstrating who these citizens are, the concept of accessibility becomes an important element in the explanation of political capacity.