Social Judgments of the Urban and Vietnam Issues in 1968 and 1972

Abstract

The authors examine data from 1968 and 1972 for possible systematic displacement effects in judgments made of candidates' positions on the issues of urban unrest and Vietnam. There was a pervasive tendency to overestimate the similarity of one's own views and those of the preferred candidate. This occurred to a greater extent for Nixon voters in 1968 and 1972 and Humphrey voters in 1968 than for McGovern voters in 1972 and Wallace voters in 1968. The tendency to overestimate the difference between one's views and those of nonpreferred candidates was much less reliable. From detailed analyses using own position, vote, race, importance, party, and others as control variables, six propositions emerge. Findings are related to balance theory and the Pollyanna hypothesis, and implications are briefly discussed.