Political Culture, Issues and the Electorate: Evidence From the Progressive Era

Abstract

OLITICAL culture has enjoyed something of a comeback in recent years as an alternative to socioeconomic explanations for human behavior (see review by Kincaid 1980). Much scholarly activity in this regard has been directed at testing the utility of Daniel Elazar's wellknown theories regarding cultural patterns within the United States (Elazar 1966, 1972). Research has generally found the subcultures identified by Elazar the moralistic, individualistic and traditionalistic to be useful in explaining differences in participation, bureaucracy, and various types of public programs among the states (see, for example: Sharkansky 1969; Kincaid 1980; and Herzik 1985). Findings on the relationships between Elazar's cultural patterns and mass opinion on various subjects, however, have generally been negative or weak (Kincaid 1980; Schiltz and Rainey 1978, Lowery and Sigelman 1982; though see Joslyn 1980). One might conclude that commonly held political attitudes associated with cultural patterns established at the turn of the century have had little staying power, particularly in comparison to the institutions or policies with which they were linked (Welch and Peters 1980). On the other hand, one might also wonder if, indeed, the cultural values identified by Elazar ever really had much effect on the political attitudes of the general public. Perhaps their prime value is in understanding differences in political attitudes among contending elites. This study focuses on the relationship between culture and mass sentiment on various issues during the progressive era in the first decades of the twentieth century. If mass political opinion on issues ever reflected Elazar's cultural variables it should be evident in this period. Assuming that the cultural patterns identified by Elazar actually existed, they would have been relatively fresh during this period, especially in western states. During this era, moreover, issues which logically evoke cultural divisions along the lines identified by Elazar were unusually salient.