Abstract
In order to determine the extent to which the widespread perception of growing American conservativism is accurate, 36 NORC opinion items were examined in each survey year they appear from 1972 to 1980. Twenty-nine of these items factored on three dimensions: The Civil Liberties, Abortion, and Economic scales. A conservative trend was found only in the case of the Economic scale, and it peaked in 1977, subsequently remaining unchanged. Multiple regression analyses controlling for sex, religion, age, education, occupational prestige, and three residence measures were used to determine whether patterns of attitude change or stasis over time were general in the population or specific to certain categories of people. While ambiguous, findings generally fail to identify population segments uniquely characterized by growing conservatism, with the likely exception of Jews and possibly youth. However, conservative trends were noted in items that concerned problems that were most serious in the later years of the 1970s: Inflation, crime, and international “weakness.”
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.