2014/10/29 by Natalie M. Jackson, Natalie Jackson · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Economics #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Epistemology #Ideology #Law #Microeconomics #Operationalization #Political science #Politics #Positive economics #Preference #Psychology #Social and Cultural Dynamics #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Social psychology #Sociology #Test (biology)
paper · doi:10.1111/ssqu.12136
openalex publication_date 2014/10/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Objective This article addresses the differences in belief systems that drive how moderates and ideologues form their policy preferences. The model put forth posits that while ideologues rely on ideological and partisan cues to form their preferences and respond to survey questions, moderates default to a more primitive source of their worldviews. Methods This project uses an anthropological operationalization of cultural worldview to test the model by analyzing the relationships between culture, ideology, and policy preferences for moderates and ideologues separately. Results Results indicate that the model is supported: moderates rely more heavily on their cultural views while forming and reporting their policy preferences, whereas ideologues rely primarily on their ideological views to form and report policy preferences. Conclusion There is evidence that partisans and moderates think about their views in fundamentally different ways, which is not fully accounted for in typical models of political behavior.