SURVEYING STUDENTS’ POLITICAL ATTITUDES
by
Wm. Feagin, Jr.
Temple College
After nearly twenty years of teaching introductory American politics courses, one
develops a fairly good sense of the topics, ideas, and concepts that give students the
most difficulty. Over the years, I had attempted a variety of approaches to introducing
students to the role of ideology and political thought in the political (policy-making)
process. None seemed very effective.
I asked colleagues how they approach the subject. Some conceded that the topic was
too difficult for most introductory government students and had decided long ago to
spend their class time on other things. I, however, have continued to teach the topic
because there are several general points I believe important for “intro” students to
understand.
First, students cannot adequately understand the United States’ constitutional system of
government without first understanding the political principles or ideals upon which it is
based. I stress the fact that these are classical liberal principles or ideals.1
Second, people’s attitudes on policy issues are generally shaped by some ideology - a
broad set of assumptions about the purposes of government in our society and the
scope of government’s authority. It usually requires substantial class time to make this
point. I have found that using the old notion of the left-right continuum, with an
important modification, is helpful.2 An ideology can be depicted on this left-right
continuum to indicate the scope of governmental power it prescribes. Liberalism is
commonly thought to occupy the middle of the continuum - it recognizes the need for
government while advocating significant limitations on government’s authority [i.e.,
Madison’s view that “if men were angels government would not be necessary” but that
government is “a necessary evil.”]
Third, ideologies (systems of political ideals) impose constraints upon the range of
policy alternatives that a political system can produce. If the political debate in the
United States is, indeed, dominated by liberal assumptions, values, and ideals, then we
would expect policy decisions and actions carried out by government to reflect liberal
assumptions, values, and ideals. Students often find this assertion difficult to accept.
Consequently, I ask them to consider this question: How many anarchists or socialists
or communists (genuine ideological alternatives to liberalism) have ever been taken
seriously in American politics? [The answer is: very few.]
Many public policy analysts agree that public policy options typically debated in the
United States reflect a relatively narrow range of ideological alternatives. For example,
our very unique approach to income maintenance policy in the United States is
1
The contention that classical liberalism is the dominant ideology in American politics is agreed upon by
political scientists and historians specializing in the study of political ideologies. See, for example, Louis
Hartz, THE LIBERAL TRADITION IN AMERICA, 1955 or Kenneth Dolbeare, AMERICAN POLITICAL THOUGHT, 1984.
2 Generally, the left end of the continuum is thought to represent ideologies which advocate sweeping
government powers (totalitarian) while the right end indicates ideologies which advocate the absence of
government and laws (anarchism). The continuum must be inverted, however, to make mathematical
sense - that is, as we proceed to the right along the continuum, the magnitude of government’s authority
should increase and as we proceed to the left, it should decrease. This modification is necessary to assign
numerical values to students’ positions on the issues presented in the survey.
premised on the liberal values of individualism and self-reliance. Most Americans
believe that we should be very selective in awarding welfare benefits. This selective
approach represents a stark contrast to the universal approaches of European countries
such as Sweden, Denmark, and Austria.
Finally, it is important that students appreciate the difficulty involved in accurately
labeling someone as liberal or conservative. Most Americans are “liberal” on some
issues and “conservative” on others. Using the labels “liberal” and “conservative” can be
very tricky - it assumes common understanding of what these terms mean.
THE SURVEY3
The survey was designed as a heuristic device to help you appreciate these several
important points. Implementing the survey has convinced me that it is possible for you
to develop a fuller appreciation of what many students have traditionally considered
bland topics. At a minimum, a you can see how your attitudes compares to those of
other students.
The survey has two parts. The items on the first part (#1-36) gauge your ideological
attitudes concerning either the role of government in American society generally or on
specific policy issues. You are asked to indicate, for each item, your attitude based on
the following scale:
Adamantly
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Indifferent/
No opinion
Disagree
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
The odd-numbered items in the first part of the survey posed issues that present a
conflict between the values of civil, political, or social order and individual freedom.4 If
we think about order and individual freedom as being political values that require us to
trade some of one to get more of the other,5 then we may represent your position on
these items as indicating that you prefer, on balance, either greater order or greater
freedom. The more you value order, the more you are willing to allow government to
regulate personal decision-making. Alternatively, the more you value individual freedom,
the less willing you are to permit government interference in these areas.
Visually, we may depict perfect order and perfect freedom as occupying positions at
opposite ends of a straight-line continuum. Positions between these two extremes
suggest a willingness to trade at least some of one value for the other. The middle point
of the continuum is indicated by the option “Indifferent/No opinion.” [It assumes that you
are satisfied with the existing balance between order and freedom.] Then, depending
on the particular question, the remaining responses were coded to determine whether
you prefer relatively more order (greater governmental regulation) or more freedom
(less governmental regulation).
3
A few of the items appearing in the survey were modified from a survey in Kenneth Janda, Jeffrey Berry,
and Jerry Goldman, Instructor’s Manual for THE CHALLENGE OF DEMOCRACY: GOVERNMENT IN AMERICA, 2nd
edition, 1989. Others were taken from a survey implemented by my retired colleague, Harold Whittington.
The remainder originated with this survey.
4
A more detailed discussion of order and other political values may be obtained on the Internet at
http://www.templejc.edu/dept/Govt/feagin/govt2301/LibVal.doc.
5
In reality, of course, neither value can be fully realized - either simultaneously or separately.
For example, the responses for item #1 were coded as follows:
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
A student who chooses “Agree” is assumed to have a greater preference for order than
one who is indifferent. A student who chooses “Strongly Agree” is assumed to have an
even greater preference for order, while a student who chooses “Adamantly Agree”
expresses a still greater preference. Similarly, a student who chooses “Disagree” is
considered to have a greater preference for individual freedom than one who is
indifferent. “Strongly Disagree” indicates an even greater preference for freedom, and
“Adamantly Disagree” still stronger.
Responses for item #7, on the other hand, were coded as follows:
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
Note that the position “Adamantly Agree” represents the greatest preference for
individual freedom while “Adamantly Disagree” indicates the greatest preference for
order. As you examine each of the items representing this conflict between the values
of social order and individual freedom, ask yourself the following question: “Do I favor
relatively more or less government regulation on this issue?” A tendency to support
government regulation represents a preference for order over individual freedom.
Assigning numerical values to each position in this manner allows us to determine your
average position on the order versus freedom conflict - it allows us to answer the
question, “On balance, do you prefer more order or more freedom?”
The even-numbered items on the first part of the survey present a conflict between the
values of social/economic equality and individual freedom. In other words, as with the
values of order and freedom, there is also a tradeoff between social/economic equality
on the one hand, and individual freedom on the other. Therefore, we may visualize the
EQUALITY - FREEDOM conflict as a second continuum. Responses for each of these items
are coded in the same way as indicated for the ORDER - FREEDOM conflict. We are
attempting to determine whether you generally favor an increased or decreased role for
government in promoting social/economic equality.
Next, we treat the ORDER - FREEDOM and EQUALITY - FREEDOM conflicts as intersecting
continuums so that we may plot (as a single point in two dimensional space) your
average position on these two conflicts. The accompanying graphic shows that the
intersection of these two continuums creates an XY plane. The plane consists of four
quadrants, representing the four separate strands of American political thought:
populism, progressivism, libertarianism, and conservatism.6
6
Each of these four strands of American political thought represent some modification of the broader,
dominant ideology called liberalism.
The terms liberal and conservative have been so over-used and misused in American
politics that they reveal very little about a person’s attitudes concerning government’s
role in society. The popular usage of the terms is quite confusing for students. Does a
liberal favor more or less government? How about a conservative? By using the
scheme devised above, students learn that many Americans do not express consistent
attitudes about the role of government in our society. The popular view that politics in
the United States is a conflict between two ideological positions [those who want more
government intervention on the one hand and those who want less on the other] is a
gross over-simplification.
A person might be opposed to government intervention on some issues while favoring
government intervention on others. Conservatives, for example, generally want to see
less government intervention to promote social/economic equality (i.e., more economic
freedom) but greater government efforts to maintain social order (i.e., restrictions on
personal decision-making). Progressives generally support government efforts to
promote equality (i.e., help disadvantaged or protected populations) while resisting
government efforts to promote order (i.e., fewer restrictions on personal decisionmaking). Populists are generally willing to embrace a role for government both in
maintaining order and promoting equality. Libertarians are generally opposed to
government intervention on both types of issues.
DETERMINING YOUR POSITION
Complete the survey that follows. Read each item carefully and respond thoughtfully.
Observe the numeric values as they are coded for each item. Then, compute your
average position on the issues representing the conflict between equality and freedom
(even-numbered items through item #36). Next, compute your average position on the
issues representing the conflict between order and freedom (odd-numbered items
through item #35). These average numbers can be treated as an ordered pair and can
be plotted on the XY plane (i.e., {-1.5, 2.25}). Since the above diagram treats the
equality-freedom conflict as the X-axis (horizontal axis), be sure to use your average
position on the even-numbered issues as the first number in the ordered pair. Are you a
populist, conservative, libertarian, or progressive? How do you compare to your
friends? Are you surprised by the results?
SURVEY OF POLITICAL ATTITUDES
INSTRUCTIONS: For each item, indicate the response that most closely reflects
your attitude.
1. As part of its effort to combat terrorism, the government should have the
authority to indefinitely detain persons it believes might have
information about terrorist activities, even if the person himself or
herself is not suspected of engaging in terrorist activities.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
2. Tax rates should be higher for wealthy families than moderate income
families while rates for lower income families should be lower.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
3. A professor at a public college or university who admits to being an
Islamic fundamentalist should be fired.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
4. The government ought to reduce the income differences between the
rich and the poor by raising the taxes of wealthy families or by giving
income assistance to poor families.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
5. To better fight crime, requirements that law enforcement agencies
respect the rights of criminal suspects should be eased.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
6. Graduated income tax brackets punish people who work hard to earn
higher incomes.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
7. An adult should be allowed to use pornography as a form of
entertainment.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
8. Because capital gains taxes [taxes on profits from stocks, etc.]
discourage investment, capital gains tax rates should be lowered.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
9. Communities should have the power to regulate the sale of rock and rap
recordings which offend community standards or morals.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
10. The government should provide tax breaks for families with young
children to subsidize day care expenses.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
11. The government should not interfere with a woman’s access to abortion
services.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
12. Government should guarantee access to health care for Americans who
cannot afford private insurance or whose employers do not provide
health coverage.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
13. A person should be allowed to burn an American flag as a form of
political speech.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
14. Congress should enact regular increases in the minimum wage.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
15. Non-sectarian or non-denominational prayer should be instituted as
daily practice in public schools.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
16. The government needs to enforce stricter laws and regulations to
protect environmental quality even if it means higher costs for
businesses and consumers.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
17. Parents should be allowed to educate their children in their own homes.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
18. Poverty relief (welfare) programs promote dependency among their
recipients and should be scaled back.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
19. The death penalty is an appropriate sentence for defendants convicted
of murder.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
20. Government should provide subsidies to students to increase their
opportunities to receive college educations.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
21. Prostitution is a victimless crime and should be decriminalized.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
22. Financing public schools by local property taxes is inequitable; the
state should establish a funding formula to redistribute funds from
wealthy to poorer districts.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
23. Penalties for illegal drug possession should be strengthened.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
24. Government should have more authority to pass laws that guarantee
equality among races and between sexes even if it means restricting the
ability of private businesses to hire whom they want or the ability of
private clubs to choose whom they want to admit.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
25. A person’s sexual orientation is his/her personal business; laws that
discriminate against homosexuals should be repealed.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
26. Universities and colleges should be allowed to limit their athletic
programs to men’s sports.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
27. Communities should have the authority to establish curfews for teens
to combat juvenile crime.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
28. Government-mandated affirmative action and equal employment
opportunity programs constitute reverse discrimination and should be
discontinued.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
29. The police should not be allowed to randomly check motorists for
DUI/DWI; police should be required to have probable cause.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
30. The government should provide low-interest loans to encourage female
or minority-owned business enterprise.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
31. To reduce the number of handgun-related crimes, handgun owners
should be required to register their weapons with the government.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
32. The government should increase efforts to enforce equal compensation
laws relating to women in the workplace.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
33. The government should pass laws limiting the amount of violence that
children are exposed to in the entertainment media (television, movies,
video games, etc.).
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
34. American citizens should have the right to make contributions to the
political candidates and political parties they support without financial
limitations imposed by the government.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
35. Public school children should be required to recite the pledge of
allegiance as part of the daily school regimen.
Adamantly
Agree
3
Strongly
Agree
2
Agree
1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
-1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
-2
-3
36. In order to permit the widest choices and lowest prices for American
consumers, the government should pursue free trade policies with
other countries.
Adamantly
Agree
-3
Strongly
Agree
-2
Agree
-1
Indifferent/
No opinion
0
Disagree
1
Strongly Adamantly
Disagree Disagree
2
3
37. How would you rate your own political orientation?
Very
Liberal Liberal
1
2
Lean
Liberal
3
Moderate
4
Lean
Conservative
5
Very
Conservative Conservative
6
7
38. Generally speaking, do you think of yourself as a Republican,
Democrat, or something else?
Strong
Democrat
1
Weak
Democrat
2
Independent
3
Weak
Republican
4
Strong
Don’t know/
Republican Something else
5
6
39. Do your parents agree or disagree with your political party preference?
1 - They agree with me.
2 - One agrees; the other doesn’t care.
3 - One agrees; the other disagrees.
4 - One disagrees; the other doesn’t care.
5 - Both disagree.
6 - Neither one cares much about politics.
40. Indicate your standing this semester:
Freshman
1
Sophomore
2
Other
3
41. Indicate your declared or intended major:
1 - Social sciences
2 - Biological sciences
3 - Business
4 - Education
5 - English
6 - Physical science
7 - Vocational field
8 - Other field
9 - Undecided
42. What is the usual occupation of the main income-earner in your
household?
1 - laborer or factory worker
2 - skilled labor or crafts
3 - civil service; police, firefighter, government employee, postal worker
4 - clerical or retail sales
5 - management in business/industry
6 - lawyer
7 - physician, dentist
8 - teacher
9 - other professional
10 - other non-professional
43. Where did you spend most of your childhood years?
1 - not spent in U.S.
2 - In Central Texas
3 - In some other region of Texas
4 - Midwest U.S.
5 - Northeast U.S.
6 - Rocky Mountain U.S.
7 - Pacific Coast U.S.
8 - Southern U.S.
9 - Other
44. Where did you spend most of your teen-age years?
1 - not spent in U.S.
2 - In Central Texas
3 - In some other region of Texas
4 - Midwest U.S.
5 - Northeast U.S.
6 - Rocky Mountain U.S.
7 - Pacific Coast U.S.
8 - Southern U.S.
9 - Other
45. Where have you spent most of your adult years?
1 - not spent in U.S.
2 - In Central Texas
3 - In some other region of Texas
4 - Midwest U.S.
5 - Northeast U.S.
6 - Rocky Mountain U.S.
7 - Pacific Coast U.S.
8 - Southern U.S.
9 - Other
46. How would you classify the community in which you spent most of your
time growing up?
1 - Rural farm
2 - Rural non-farm
3 - Small town (under 20,000)
4 - Medium/Large town (20,000 - 50,000)
5 - Urban (50,000 - 500,000)
6 - Metropolitan (Over 500,000)
7 - Suburban
47. Indicate your sex:
1 - Male
2 - Female
48. Indicate your race/ethnicity:
1 - African-American
2- Asian
3 - Hispanic
4 - White
5 - Other
49. Indicate your religion:
1 - Catholic
2 - Jewish
3 - Muslim
4 – Protestant [all Christian sects other than Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox
5 - Other
6 - None
50. Roughly speaking, what would you estimate your annual family income
to be?
1 - under $7,500
2 - $7,500 - 10,000
3 - $10,000 - 15,000
4 - $15,000 - 20,000
5 - $20,000 - 25,000
6 - $25,000 - 35,000
7 - $35,000 - 50,000
8 - $50,000 - 75,000
9 - $75,000 - 100,000
10 - over $100,000