U.S. Cultural Beliefs of Strong Ideologues, Weak Ideologues, and Non-Ideologues

• In Event: Innovations in the Study of Constraint in Mass Belief Systems

Abstract

What is the nature of belief systems in mass publics? Studies using uni-dimensional conceptions of political ideology to assess organization in political attitudes find the U.S. public, especially those with a low level of political sophistication, to be “empty-headed or muddle-headed” (Sniderman 1992; see also Converse 1964; Zaller 1992; Feldman 2003; Bishop 2005; Kinder 2006). But in recent years many scholars argue that the general public uses values and principles to order their political views in multiple dimensions (e.g., see Carmines & D’Amico 2014; Feldman and Huddy 2014; Feldman and Johnston 2014; Goren 2013; Jacoby 2014; Haidt 2012; Jost 2006; Jost et al. 2003, 2009; Schwartz et al. 2010; Swedlow & Wyckoff 2009). What’s missing is a multiple-dimensional theory of value structure tying together ideological identification and political attitudes. We offer Douglasian cultural theory (CT; Douglas 1999; Thompson, Ellis, & Wildavsky 1990) to fill this void. We validate CT in original annual U.S. survey data covering the years 2011-2021 using unique cultural measures and three cultural identification strategies, including rejection of cultures (Olli and Swedlow 2022). We find that strong ideologues, weak ideologues, and non-ideologues have distinct cultural belief systems. We further show that CT’s cultures outperform ideology as explanations for risk perceptions and policy preferences (regarding climate change and more obscure energy and environmental issues), particularly among conservatives and among those who barely participate in politics. We discuss the limitations of our approach and outline directions for further research.

Authors

• Brendon Swedlow, Northern Illinois University

• Meng Yuan, Chongqing University