Social Groups & Political Belief Systems: Fresh Evidence on an Old Theory

• In Event: New Frameworks for the Study of Groups and Political Opinion

Abstract

We present novel evidence that attitudes towards social groups are responsible for structuring political belief systems. First, we show that most Americans have a rich knowledge of the social groups that support and oppose group-relevant policies (e.g., feminists and abortion). This knowledge often exceeds people’s knowledge of where Democrats and Republicans or liberals and conservatives stand on these same issues. Second, we show that when Americans do know which social groups support a policy, their attitudes towards the policy reflect their attitudes towards its supporters and opponents. Third, this knowledge promotes what Philip Converse called ideological coherence: Americans who know which groups support or oppose a policy are more likely to hold stable policy positions over time and to organize their attitudes into consistently liberal or conservative bundles. Strikingly, knowledge of social groups' policy views rivals knowledge of parties' positions in its ability to generate attitude stability and constraint.

Authors

• Neil O' Brian, University of Oregon

• Elizabeth Mitchell Elder, Princeton University