Measuring individuals' priorities for national goals: A methodology and empirical example

Abstract

This study suggests a methodology for measuring individuals' priorities for national goals on an interval scale and multivariate procedures for interpreting such scale values. The scaling procedure used is a paired comparison paradigm developed by Bechtel. This scaling procedure is outlined and a test-retest procedure developed by Bechtel is discussed. Multivariate analysis of variance, discriminant analysis, and cluster analytic procedures are then outlined for gaining policy insights from the scale value data. Finally, the above methodology is applied to an empirical example carried out in 1970 concerning national priorities for eight possible national goals. Extensions of the technique and further areas of application are proposed.