Overall Level Of Support Research Articles

Quotas or parity? How the framing of positive action measures impacts public support and backlash

ABSTRACT While gender quota and parity laws are increasingly popular worldwide, their introduction often causes controversy. Thus far, we lack an understanding of how the framing of these measures affects public opinion. We conducted a survey experiment in the UK and France (combined N = 2677) to identify the causal effect of framing on levels of support for the policy and potential backlash against women candidates. Comparing (1) gender quotas to increase women’s underrepresentation and (2) gender parity laws to achieve gender balance, we find that overall levels of support are greater than opposition in both countries. Parity is more supported than quotas in France, but no such framing effects emerge in the UK. Respondents’ gender also matters, with men less supportive of both measures than women. We find no evidence that either type of positive action measure increases backlash in the form of reduced support for hypothetical women candidates running under such measures.

SUPPORT NEEDS IN WORKING WITH STUDENTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES - TEACHERS ' PERSPECTIVE

The aim of the study was to determine type and intensity of support that teachers consider necessary for working with students who have developmental disabilities. The sample consisted of 108 teachers, aged 24 to 61 (M=40.77; SD=9.97). The Needs Questionnaire (Rodríguez et al., 2012) was used to collect data on the required support. The results indicate a relatively high level of support needs in all four areas covered by the questionnaire, with the highest need expressed for social support, followed by the need for information and the need for additional resources, while the lowest level of support is needed in communicating about the child with developmental disability with others. The overall level of support needed by teachers from our sample does not differ statistically significantly between male and female teachers (t=0.640; p=0.524), nor between teachers employed in public and private schools (t=0.180; p=0.857). No statistically significant correlation was found between the need for support and age (r=-0.002; p=0.981) or years of work experience of the respondents (r=0.056; p=0.564). The obtained results provide an insight into the intensity and structure of teachers' needs for support in working with students with developmental disabilities and can represent a starting point for providing support aligned with the expressed needs, with the aim of increasing the quality of the teaching process.

U.S. consumer support for genetically modified foods: Time trends and assessments of four GM attributes

ABSTRACT There is a large literature about consumer acceptance of GM foods dating back almost three decades, but there are fewer studies that investigate how support for specific GM attributes contribute to general support for novel plant technologies. In addition, there is little information on how support has changed over time. Using survey data from 2018 to 2023 in a U.S. State (Vermont) (n = 3101), we analyze changes in support for a variety of GM attributes over time. There are three major findings. First, there is movement toward neutrality in support for various GM attributes, but opposition continues. Second, there is variability in support for different GM attributes. People are most supportive (least opposed) to GM attributes that improve flora (plant health or drought tolerance), and most opposed (least supportive) of attributes that impact fauna (specifically fish). Third, multivariate regression reveals that assessments of individual GM attributes contribute to levels of overall support of the use of GM technologies in agricultural production.

Supporting Sponsored International Students during COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from a Study of Kazakhstani “Bolashak” Scholarship Recipients

The aim of this study was to understand how international students sponsored by the “Bolashak” program administered in Kazakhstan perceived the support provided by the host institutions and the funding agency during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to gain a foundational understanding and basic description of the central phenomenon. Our findings demonstrate that “Bolashak” scholarship recipients seem generally satisfied with the overall level of support provided, however, they seem to feel better supported by the host institutions than the scholarship administering agency. We employed a combination of three theories—Principal–Agent Theory, Institutional Isomorphism Theory, and the Theory of Institutional Dynamics in Interorganizational Collaboration, which help to explain our findings. Study findings suggest several areas of improvement for institutional emergency response and sponsored students.

Putting A Fresh Face Forward: Does the Gender of a Police Chief Affect Public Perceptions?

As the public, policymakers, and scholars increasingly call for police reform, one commonly proposed solution is to increase the number of female officers and leaders under the assumption that female police will be perceived as more trustworthy, less violent, and more effective at addressing gendered crimes. Using a survey experiment, we explore whether there is a link between passive representation in police leadership and civilians’ perceptions of substantive representation by the police. We argue that due to feminine stereotypes and role congruity theory, female police chiefs should be perceived as more effective at addressing gendered crimes, corruption, police brutality, and community relations, but be evaluated as less competent on addressing violent crimes. We find that female police chiefs are considered to be more competent at handling gendered crimes (with little relationship with non-gendered crimes), and are viewed as more able to address corruption, police brutality, and community relations. Female police chiefs are also more likely to receive higher levels of overall support. We emphasize that our study points to the importance of passive representation within police leadership, but caution that increasing women’s representation may be a necessary, but not sufficient condition to improve relations between the public and the police.

An examination of public support for 35 nutrition interventions across seven countries

BackgroundPublic support for evidence-based nutrition interventions can be an important determinant of government willingness to develop and implement such interventions. The aim of this study was to assess support for a broad range of nutrition interventions across seven countries: Australia, Canada, China, India, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Assessed interventions included those relating to food availability, affordability, reformulation, labelling, and promotion.MethodsApproximately 1000 adults per country (total n = 7559) completed an online survey assessing support for 35 nutrition interventions/policies. ANOVA analyses were used to identify differences between countries on overall levels of support and by intervention category. Multiple regression analyses assessed demographic and diet-related factors associated with higher levels of support across the total sample and by country.ResultsSubstantial levels of public support were found for the assessed interventions across the seven countries and five intervention categories. The highest levels were found in India (Mean across all interventions of 4.16 (standard deviation (SD) 0.65) on a 5-point scale) and the lowest in the United States (Mean = 3.48, SD = 0.83). Support was strongest for interventions involving food labelling (Mean = 4.20, SD = 0.79) and food reformulation (Mean = 4.17, SD = 0.87), and weakest for fiscal interventions (Mean = 3.52, SD = 1.06). Consumer characteristics associated with stronger support were higher self-rated health, higher educational attainment, female sex, older age, and perceptions of consuming a healthy diet.ConclusionThe results indicate substantial support for a large range of nutrition interventions across the assessed countries, and hence governments could potentially be more proactive in developing and implementing such initiatives.

Surrogate Perspectives on Patient Preference Predictors: Good Idea, but I Should Decide How They Are Used

Background: Current practice frequently fails to provide care consistent with the preferences of decisionally-incapacitated patients. It also imposes significant emotional burden on their surrogates. Algorithmic-based patient preference predictors (PPPs) have been proposed as a possible way to address these two concerns. While previous research found that patients strongly support the use of PPPs, the views of surrogates are unknown. The present study thus assessed the views of experienced surrogates regarding the possible use of PPPs as a means to help make treatment decisions for decisionally-incapacitated patients. Methods: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to determine the views of experienced surrogates [n = 26] who were identified from two academic medical centers and two community hospitals. The primary outcomes were respondents’ overall level of support for the idea of using PPPs and the themes related to their views on how a PPP should be used, if at all, in practice. Results: Overall, 21 participants supported the idea of using PPPs. The remaining five indicated that they would not use a PPP because they made decisions based on the patient’s best interests, not based on substituted judgment. Major themes which emerged were that surrogates, not the patient’s preferences, should determine how treatment decisions are made, and concern that PPPs might be used to deny expensive care or be biased against minority groups. Conclusions: Surrogates, like patients, strongly support the idea of using PPPs to help make treatment decisions for decisionally-incapacitated patients. These findings provide support for developing a PPP and assessing it in practice. At the same time, patients and surrogates disagree over whose preferences should determine how treatment decisions are made, including whether to use a PPP. These findings reveal a fundamental disagreement regarding the guiding principles for surrogate decision-making. Future research is needed to assess this disagreement and consider ways to address it. Supplemental data for this article is available online at

Public attitudes to a wealth tax: the importance of ‘capacity to pay’

AbstractIn this paper, we present findings from the first ever study, to our knowledge, to focus in detail on public attitudes to an annual wealth tax. We start with a brief review of relevant recent studies before outlining the mixed methods used, which involved a nationally representative survey of 2,243 members of the general public and four focus groups conducted during the summer of 2020. The study aimed to measure, explore and explain the overall levels of support for a wealth tax compared with other taxes, the arguments for and against a wealth tax, and opinions on the particular design of such a tax. Key findings include high levels of public support for a wealth tax compared with other taxes, and support for the base of the tax to include financial investments and property wealth (after excluding the main home). The most popular rate/threshold combination is for the tax to be levied at a rate of at least 1 per cent over £500,000. Support for the tax appears to be driven by a combination of rational self‐interest and beliefs about fairness but, in particular, the public are keen for the tax to be focused on those with capacity to contribute the most.

Message framing, environmental behaviour and support for carbon capture and storage in Australia

In Australia, the polarised debate over the pace and scale of change necessary to mitigate climate change has been exacerbated by inconsistent federal government policies which are seen to hinder the transition to a low carbon energy future. This includes the way in which particular energy technologies have been framed within the debate, with potential effects on public support for a given technology. This paper presents the results of a study that examined question order framing effects on support for a range of energy technologies across a nationally representative survey of the Australian public. It was hypothesised that this experimental manipulation would allow us to better understand how the salience of different frames may lead to shifts in individuals’ preferences for various energy technologies. Four different experimental frames were developed covering the following topics: knowledge; cost and reliability; climate change: and energy behaviours. Overall, our results demonstrated that such question order effects can impact support for the range of different options. The energy behaviours frame demonstrated an increase in overall levels of support for nearly all energy technologies and was the only frame that significantly increased overall levels of support for CCS. Consistent with prior research, overall support for renewable energy technologies remained highest. However, the frames led to unexpected outcomes in their impacts on expressed support. While the reasons for these responses are not clear, this study highlights an important consideration for ongoing survey research into the effects of question sequencing and priming around topic salience.

Snowballing or wilting? What affects public support for varying models of basic income?

AbstractRecently, the idea of a universal basic income has received unprecedented attention from policymakers, the media and the wider public. This has inspired a plethora of surveys that seek to measure the extent of public support for the policy, many of which suggest basic income is surprisingly popular. However, in a review of past surveys, with a focus on the UK and Finland, we find that overall levels of support for basic income can vary considerably. We highlight the importance of survey design and, by employing new survey data in each country, compare the levels and determinants of support for varied models of basic income. Our results point to the importance of the multi-dimensionality of basic income and the fragility of public support for the idea. The findings suggest that the ability of political actors to mobilise the public in favour of basic income will eventually depend on the precise model they wish to implement.

White Supervisor and Subordinate Beliefs about Black/White Inequality: Implications for Understanding and Reducing Workplace Racial Disparities

AbstractThis study examines the racial stratification beliefs of white Americans who have decision-making power at work (managers and supervisors) and of those (subordinates) who lack such power. We focus on whether these groups vary in overall levels of support for, and in determinants of, beliefs about racial inequality. Pooled cross-sectional analyses of data from the 1977 to 2014 General Social Surveys (GSS) reveal that, among both white supervisors and subordinates, support is greatest for a motivation-based explanation of black disadvantage, followed by (in order) explanations focusing on blacks’ lesser educational chances, discrimination against blacks, and finally, blacks’ supposed lesser ability. In line with Group Position Theory, our multivariate analyses reveal few differences across the supervisory divide in levels of support for, or in the determinants of, whites’ beliefs about black disadvantage. Differences that do exist align with alternative perspectives including Social Dominance Theory, a Group Self-Interest Model, and Intergroup Contact Theory. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and methodological implications of our findings for future research pertaining to what does and does not work to ameliorate racial inequality in the workplace.

Union structure, bounded solidarity and support for redistribution: Implications for building a welfare state

This study unveils the effects of union structure – national, industrial and enterprise unionism – on the solidarity and redistribution preferences of workers. We argue that labor unions have varied scope and levels of solidarity as well as redistribution preferences because solidarity is not naturally given but tends to be cultivated by labor unions. In order to sustain commitment to egalitarian wages and redistributive social policies, a spirit of solidarity must be instilled in the minds of members, especially more privileged workers. Our analysis finds that countries with encompassing unions at national and industry levels have higher levels of overall support for government intervention to reduce income inequality than countries with enterprise unionism. It suggests that welfare state building is not just a function of relative power between labor and capital; union structure and preference formation matter as well.

Who Supports Professional Certification? Insights from Employment Arbitration

AbstractProfessional certification programmes became commonplace across the occupational structure in recent years, with many emerging and established professions opting to create their own certification programmes for reasons ranging from collective marketing to reducing malpractice litigation risk. Theories of social closure suggest that advantaged and established individual practitioners might want to use certification as a means of distinguishing themselves and enacting barriers to entry, though research on credentials and signalling theory leads to the expectation that certification is most valued by less secure and younger workers seeking to establish themselves in a profession. We use a survey of employment arbitrators as a case study in the dynamics of who supports certification, finding a surprisingly low overall level of support for certification. Arbitrators who are female, racial minorities and those who earn lower hourly rates are most supportive of creating and earning certification, suggesting that the most natural constituency for a new certification programme may be those looking to ‘break in’ to a profession rather than those already well established in their practice.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Hospital Pharmacy Staff in Canada Regarding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)

In February 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that it was unconstitutional to prohibit physicians from assisting in a patient's consensual death, thereby setting the groundwork for the legalization of medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Much of the research on this topic has focused on physicians, although other health care professionals will be involved in the process, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy assistants. In many provinces, the medications required for MAiD will be dispensed from hospital pharmacies, which will result in direct involvement of hospital pharmacy staff. The primary objective was to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of hospital pharmacy staff in Canada regarding MAiD. The secondary objective was to determine the factors that might influence those opinions. A 34-question web-based survey was available for 6 weeks during early 2017 to hospital pharmacy staff throughout Canada. For most questions, responses were based on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree". Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. A total of 1040 valid survey responses were received: 607 from pharmacists, 273 from pharmacy technicians, and 160 from pharmacy assistants. Most respondents were supportive of MAiD; however, nearly all respondents (99% [601/607] of pharmacists, 73% [315/431] of technicians and assistants]) reported lacking comprehensive education on the topic. Despite high levels of overall support, pharmacists tended to be less supportive of MAiD than pharmacy technicians or assistants. Factors that influenced opinions included strong religious beliefs, region, and knowledge of provincial and federal legislation. The majority of respondents, particularly technicians and assistants, were supportive of MAiD, but most respondents lacked education about the topic.

Identifying the level of major power support signaled for protégés: A latent measure approach

Major powers signal support for protégés in order to reassure them and deter harm against them. Yet, it is not always clear how to identify who a major power’s protégés are or the degree of support signaled. Major powers have a variety of complementary signals to choose among, including alliances, arms transfers, joint military exercises, and others. It can be difficult to weigh the importance of individual signals, especially since different major powers do not deploy each signal in the same way. We address this challenge using a Bayesian latent measurement model, which provides a theoretically coherent means of identifying the overall level of support signaled by a major power for a protégé. Our approach yields a cross-sectional time-series dataset, providing a continuous measure of the degree of support signaled by major powers for all minor powers from 1950 to 2012. Our model also provides insights regarding which signals of support are most informative when sent by each major power. We find considerable variation among major powers regarding which of their signals are most meaningful, but in general alliances and military exercises tend to be among the most important signals. In further applications using our latent measure, we also assess under which conditions major powers are likely to increase their signals of support for protégés, as well as predict whether a major power will intervene in conflicts involving its protégés.

Quantifying the Scientific Cost of Ambiguous Terminology in Community Ecology

Fundamental terms in the field of ecology are ambiguous, with multiple meanings associated with them. While this could lead to confusion, discord, or even tests that violate core assumptions of a given theory or model, this ambiguity could also be a feature that allows for new knowledge creation through the interconnected nature of concepts. We approached this debate from a quantitative perspective, and investigated the cost of ambiguity related to definitions of ecological units in ecology related to the general term “community.” We did a meta-analysis of tests associated with two bodies of literature, Hubbell’s unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography and Diamond’s assembly rules, that rely on a specific ecological unit that assumes that species are existing within a local area and that they have overlapping resource needs. We predicted that if ambiguous terminology is widespread, then researchers will have tested them with many different ecological units, that in addition some of these ecological units will violate the core assumptions of the theory, and finally that the overall level of support for a theory will be stronger if appropriate ecological units were used. We found that indeed multiple different ecological units were used in the literature to test both theories, with 65 percent appropriate ecological units for neutral theory tests, and only 6 percent for assembly rule tests. Finally, there was some evidence that the support for a theory depended on whether appropriate ecological units were used for neutral tests, but there was not enough data for the assembly rule tests. These results thus show that ambiguous terminology in ecology is having measurable effects on research and is not of solely philosophical concern. We advocate that authors be explicit in their writing and outline core assumptions of theories, that researchers apply these consistently in their tests, and that readers be attentive to what is written and cognizant of their potential biases.

Labor Market Insiders or Outsiders? A Cross-National Examination of Redistributive Preferences of the Working Poor

Prior research on attitudes toward redistribution documents an association between one’s policy preferences and socioeconomic position, as well as an impact of welfare policy on the mean level of support for redistribution. Building on both traditions, the current paper aims to expand our understanding of the sources of public support for welfare policies by examining the role that social policy plays in shaping the policy preferences of the working poor. Building on the distinction between labor market insiders and outsiders, this paper examines whether preferences by the working poor more closely resemble those of non-poor workers or those of non-working poor individuals. Results from this study show that the degree of support for redistribution among the working poor is notably closer to the average degree reported by non-working poor individuals than the mean level reported by non-poor workers. Moreover, utilizing cross-national data from 31 countries in 13 different time-points between 1985 and 2010, the paper documents a much smaller preference gap between non-poor workers and the working poor and a higher overall level of support for redistribution in countries providing a greater degree of employment protection.

Mate Choice Copying in Humans: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mate choice copying (MCC) is a type of non-independent mate choice where the ‘probability of acceptance’ of a potential mate increases if they are observed to be chosen by others first. The phenomenon was first demonstrated in several non-human taxa, with studies on humans conducted shortly after. The effect has been consistently documented among women choosing men (female choice), with mixed results among men choosing women (male choice). To understand and test the overall level of support for MCC in humans, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, including a sensitivity analysis for publication bias. We found that the two most commonly used methods of studying MCC in humans involved either the ‘addition’ of a cue (opposite sex other) or the ‘augmentation’ of cues (manipulating ‘mate quality’ of opposite sex other). We performed separate meta-analyses for these two approaches, splitting each into male choice and female choice. Women were more likely to rate male targets as more desirable when presented alongside a female while no obvious effects were detected with male choice. These sex differences disappeared in studies that ‘augment’ cues, as both sexes rated targets as more attractive when in the presence of more desirable others. We also detected high levels of heterogeneity in effect sizes and a moderate publication bias in favor of positive reports of MCC. Our results provide clarification for documented sex differences (or lack thereof) in human MCC. We also discuss the importance of method consistency in studies that transfer ideas from non-human to human behavioral studies, highlighting replication issues in the light of the publication crisis in psychological science.

Titans Jousting for the Mob: Great Powers and Voting in the UN General Assembly

The article aims to assess current trends in the evolution of Russian, Chinese and American standing in the UN General Assembly (UNGA). This body as the most representative international body with wide thematical mandate enables to assess correlation in voting patterns of major powers and other participants of international community. Therefore, commonality of positions could be used as an indicator of positive recognition of national policy by UN Member-States. Such recognition could become a source of international legitimation for a strategy of a major power in global politics. The article starts with representing the key trend towards greater rivalry among major powers since the early 2010s. It claims that this competition to a large extent is exercised in institutionalized forums. It then examines an institutional mandate and operational dynamics of UNGA. After that it engages in descriptive statistical analysis of voting record in this body from its 60th to 71st sessions.The study demonstrates the rise of unfavorable trends for Russia and China in UNGA. Their positions receive lower levels of overall support from the whole population of UN Member-States. The same trends could be observed within BRICS and among their respective regional partners. The United States, on the contrary, improved their positions in the UNGA throughout the 2010s. This task was simplified by an extremely low base level of correlation in voting between Washington and other states. The administration of Barack Obama was especially successful in consolidation of major developed countries around the United States. However, due to the widespread skepticism towards the UN in the American political elite, there are no guarantees that the United States will be able to preserve increased level of convergence of political positions with other states in future.

Socioeconomic status, perceived inequality of opportunity, and attitudes toward redistribution

Previous research suggests that an individual’s socioeconomic status (SES) is negatively associated with attitudes toward redistributive policies. The objective of this study is to examine whether the relationship between an individual’s subjective SES and his or her attitudes toward redistribution is contingent upon perceptions of inequality of opportunity. A series of multilevel analyses was performed using data from 28 countries from the 2009 International Social Survey Program (ISSP). Results revealed that the relationship between individual SES and attitudes toward redistribution was weaker among individuals who more strongly believed that success lies beyond the control of individuals. Shared perceptions of inequality of opportunity at the country level were also significant. The relationship between SES and attitudes toward redistribution was weaker in countries with higher levels of public perceptions of inequality of opportunity. In conclusion, people commensurately support redistribution policies (even contrary to their own self-interest) as they recognize the significance of inequality of opportunity. The greater the support among people for redistribution against their self-interest, the weaker the social cleavage in attitudes toward redistribution across different SES strata, and the higher the overall level of support for redistribution in society.