Political Incongruity between Students’ Ideological Identity and Stance on Specific Public Policies in a Predominantly White Southeastern State Institution

Abstract

The study determined whether or not a predominantly Caucasian sample (N = 187) attending a southeastern state’s major public university embraced political policies consistent with their self-identified political ideology. The findings showed that the highest percentage of students identified with a conservative ideology and that a much lower percentage identified with a liberal ideology. Nonetheless, students approved of more liberal policies than conservative ones. These findings suggest that southern students are likely to be more open to examining the pros and cons of sociopolitical policies than to comparing the merits of political ideologies.