Attitudes towards those with different political beliefs

[likertornot]

Hi everyone,

I am a final year undergraduate psychology student at The Open University and I’m conducting research on people’s attitudes towards those that hold political beliefs that differ from their own.

As a part of this, I’m looking for politically engaged participants to complete a short online survey relating to the topic. It should take around 10-15 minutes to complete, and your responses will be completely anonymous. The survey isn't a test, so there are no right or wrong answers, and I'm not targeting any specific political group or testing a hypothesis relating to people's political orientations. The study is concerned with identifying general patterns in attitudes regardless of one's actual political beliefs.

If you have some time to spare and think this might be of interest to you, you can find out more and participate here: openss.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dmP2okfi0CzRR8V


You’re more than welcome to ask me any questions about the survey on this thread, by direct message or at [e-mail], and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Many thanks.

[gwynthegriff]

Interesting, but I didn't like the question setting social views on a left-right axis. Surely should be libertarian/ authoritarian rather than leftwing/ rightwing. I've met plenty of authoritarian left-wingers and socially liberal right-wingers!

[Devil Wincarnate]

Mar 13, 2019 19:47:06 GMT gwynthegriff said:

 I've met plenty of authoritarian left-wingers and socially liberal right-wingers!

"Top liberal admits to long career in Liberal Democrats"

[J.G.Harston]

Where do you see your views on the political spectrum in relation to economic issues? (e.g. welfare spending/social security spending, free market policies, taxation)

Where do you see your views on the political spectrum in relation to social issues? (e.g. immigration, minority rights and protections, criminal justice)

I can't answer those two questions as I have different positions on the examples *within* each question. My free-marketism would be described as right-wing, my social security policies would be described as left-wing. You need to split those out to between six and eight seperate questions.

[gwynthegriff]

Mar 13, 2019 20:07:54 GMT Devil Wincarnate said:

Mar 13, 2019 19:47:06 GMT gwynthegriff said:

 I've met plenty of authoritarian left-wingers and socially liberal right-wingers!

"Top liberal admits to long career in Liberal Democrats"

Fair point, but I was thinking more of the left-wing (ex Communist) Labour councillor I knew, and liked, who had a big downer on homosexuals [ yes, I know... ] or the fiscally hard-line Conservatives I know who believe in live and let live. (Or the row over the opening of a mosque where we had Labour councillors screaming blue murder and dear old Alice Roberts, hereditary Conservative councillor for deeply rural - and traditional - Wrenbury, who felt it her role to help people to have somewhere to worship.)

[likertornot]

Mar 13, 2019 19:47:06 GMT gwynthegriff said:

Interesting, but I didn't like the question setting social views on a left-right axis. Surely should be libertarian/ authoritarian rather than leftwing/ rightwing. I've met plenty of authoritarian left-wingers and socially liberal right-wingers!

Hi gwynthegriff,

Thanks for the feedback! 

I had difficulty with this section of the survey, because while I want to have an accurate picture of those that take part, I also needed to be careful to phrase things in such a way that the political layman wouldn't have difficulty responding. The libertarian/authoritarian continuum is something I thought some people might not be so familiar with, so I stuck with left-right (despite its flaws).

Additionally, the responses to that part of the survey will only used to gain a very general overview of those that took part.

Something I'll bear in mind for future though!

[likertornot]

Mar 13, 2019 20:15:40 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Where do you see your views on the political spectrum in relation to economic issues? (e.g. welfare spending/social security spending, free market policies, taxation)

Where do you see your views on the political spectrum in relation to social issues? (e.g. immigration, minority rights and protections, criminal justice)

I can't answer those two questions as I have different positions on the examples *within* each question. My free-marketism would be described as right-wing, my social security policies would be described as left-wing. You need to split those out to between six and eight seperate questions.

HI J.G. Harston,

I definitely see your point, and ideally those questions would be split up into separate questions in the same sort of way you've suggested. As I've said above though, the purpose of that section is just to gain a very general overview of those that took part. I appreciate that doesn't make it any easier for you to answer though.

For these sorts of questions it's not uncommon to suggest that you just take a rough average of the different facets such as those suggested, but that's very crude and won't capture the nuances of your views.

Out of interest, would you have found it more difficult if it was just one question asking where you'd place yourself on the political spectrum generally? That was another option I was toying with.

[gwynthegriff]

Mar 13, 2019 20:59:41 GMT likertornot said:

Mar 13, 2019 19:47:06 GMT gwynthegriff said:

Interesting, but I didn't like the question setting social views on a left-right axis. Surely should be libertarian/ authoritarian rather than leftwing/ rightwing. I've met plenty of authoritarian left-wingers and socially liberal right-wingers!

Hi gwynthegriff,

Thanks for the feedback! 

I had difficulty with this section of the survey, because while I want to have an accurate picture of those that take part, I also needed to be careful to phrase things in such a way that the political layman wouldn't have difficulty responding. The libertarian/authoritarian continuum is something I thought some people might not be so familiar with, so I stuck with left-right (despite its flaws).

Additionally, the responses to that part of the survey will only used to gain a very general overview of those that took part.

Something I'll bear in mind for future though!

I put myself as left on social issues - I assumed that was appropriate for being socially liberal in that context?

[likertornot]

Mar 13, 2019 21:11:14 GMT gwynthegriff said:

Mar 13, 2019 20:59:41 GMT likertornot said:

Hi gwynthegriff,

Thanks for the feedback! 

I had difficulty with this section of the survey, because while I want to have an accurate picture of those that take part, I also needed to be careful to phrase things in such a way that the political layman wouldn't have difficulty responding. The libertarian/authoritarian continuum is something I thought some people might not be so familiar with, so I stuck with left-right (despite its flaws).

Additionally, the responses to that part of the survey will only used to gain a very general overview of those that took part.

Something I'll bear in mind for future though!

I put myself as left on social issues - I assumed that was appropriate for being socially liberal in that context?

Yep - that's what I had in mind.

And I should have said above, thanks for taking part!

[Devil Wincarnate]

Mar 13, 2019 20:15:40 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Where do you see your views on the political spectrum in relation to economic issues? (e.g. welfare spending/social security spending, free market policies, taxation)

Where do you see your views on the political spectrum in relation to social issues? (e.g. immigration, minority rights and protections, criminal justice)

I can't answer those two questions as I have different positions on the examples *within* each question. My free-marketism would be described as right-wing, my social security policies would be described as left-wing. You need to split those out to between six and eight seperate questions.

Whilst I'm inclined to agree, I thought they were quite decent questions given the limitations that a student necessarily has in creating these things.

[J.G.Harston]

Mar 13, 2019 21:11:03 GMT likertornot said:

Mar 13, 2019 20:15:40 GMT J.G.Harston said:

Where do you see your views on the political spectrum in relation to economic issues? (e.g. welfare spending/social security spending, free market policies, taxation)

Where do you see your views on the political spectrum in relation to social issues? (e.g. immigration, minority rights and protections, criminal justice)

I can't answer those two questions as I have different positions on the examples *within* each question. My free-marketism would be described as right-wing, my social security policies would be described as left-wing. You need to split those out to between six and eight seperate questions.

HI J.G. Harston,

I definitely see your point, and ideally those questions would be split up into separate questions in the same sort of way you've suggested. As I've said above though, the purpose of that section is just to gain a very general overview of those that took part. I appreciate that doesn't make it any easier for you to answer though.

For these sorts of questions it's not uncommon to suggest that you just take a rough average of the different facets such as those suggested, but that's very crude and won't capture the nuances of your views.

Out of interest, would you have found it more difficult if it was just one question asking where you'd place yourself on the political spectrum generally? That was another option I was toying with.

Yes. As alluded to above, I fit in different places on the political spectrum depending on the policies.

I believe in free markets (right)

I believe in a functioning welfare system (left)

I believe that a contributory welfare system is more sustainable than a non-contributory one (right)

I believe in restricting unlimited immigration (right)

I believe in rights and protections of minorities from abuse by the majority (left)

I believe in low taxation (right) sufficient to support a functioning state (left)

I believe in the rule of law, and in particular, the protection from arbitary law (no idea where that would go, as people all over the spectrum have been demanding arbitary law be applied to all sorts of people)

Edit: and this may blow your mind: I'm a Liberal Democrat who voted Leave and believes in persuing Brexit.

[goose]

Mar 13, 2019 19:47:06 GMT gwynthegriff said:

Interesting, but I didn't like the question setting social views on a left-right axis. Surely should be libertarian/ authoritarian rather than leftwing/ rightwing. I've met plenty of authoritarian left-wingers and socially liberal right-wingers!

Surely progressive v conservative would be a better axis. I can't see what authoritarianism has to do with someone's individual stance on a social issue.