Texas is a conservative state. Just ask any Texas politician, and he or she will confirm it. However, how do we know that Texas is a conservative state?
For individuals, there are several methods used by political scientists to determine a person’s political ideology. One way is to ask a person to choose his or her ideology, giving them several choices. This is a commonly used method, but it has a problem. What if the person is unfamiliar with the choices that are offered, or more importantly, what if a person holds incorrect conceptions of the choices? And that is not uncommon. So, what other method can we use to determine ideology? We could ask a person for whom they voted in the last election, since we know the ideologies of most political candidates. If a person votes for conservatives, then he or she must be conservative. But what if a person votes on some basis other than ideology—expertise, experience, party identification, personality, etc. Voting for a conservative may not mean that the person is conservative. So, what’s the best method? I believe that asking a person to respond to a set of questions on issues that can be arrayed on the individualism-equality axis or on the individualism-social order axis is the best method to determine a person’s ideology.
Using self-identification, a 2008 poll conducted by The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin) found that 39 percent of Texans identified as conservative, 41 percent chose moderate, and 20 percent were liberal. In a 2012 poll by UT-Austin and the Texas Tribune, 23 percent of registered voters indicated that they were liberal, 26 percent considered themselves moderate, and 50 percent identified as conservative. Other polls have resulted in similar percentages.
There have been several methods used to determine a state’s political ideology and policy mood. I believe that Thomas Carsey and Jeffrey Harden in their article entitled “New Measures of Partisanship, Ideology, and Policy Mood in the American States” in State Politics & Policy Quarterly (March 2010) have done the best job so far of assessing ideology and policy mood. They constructed a measure of ideology and of policy mood, using self-identification for ideology and issue positions for policy mood. The measure of ideology results in the mean symbolic self-identification, which “refers to a person’s overall view of the role of government that can shape the specific policy preferences a person holds.” Policy mood, however, “is based on responses to specific policy issues and, thus, represents an operational interest in preferred policies rather than a symbolic preference.” They found that Texas ranked as the 7th most conservative state among the 50 states on ideology in both 2000 and 2004. In 2006, Texas ranked as the 9th most conservative. For reference, Texas had a mean score of approximately 1.7 in 2000 and 2004 and 1.75 in 2006, where 1.0 is most conservative, 2.0 is moderate, and 3.0 is most liberal. In policy mood, Texas ranked as the 13th most conservative state in 2004 but the 30th most conservative state in 2006. Again, for reference, Texas had a mean score of approximately -0.2 in 2004 and -0.01 in 2006, where -1.0 is most conservative, 0.0 is moderate, and 1.0 is most liberal. Interestingly, Texas is more conservative symbolically than it is operationally.
However, neither measure of ideology addresses the existence of four ideologies—liberalism, conservatism, libertarianism, and populism. So, I have constructed a six item assessment of ideology that taps both dimensions and allows a person to ascertain which operational ideology they exhibit. I also include a question to measure symbolic ideology through self-identification. The test is reproduced below. Please complete the assessment and determine your ideology.
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
Self-identification: Politically speaking, do you consider yourself a:
a. liberal
b. moderate
c. conservative
Consistent and Interrelated Attitudes: respond to the following statements by circling the number that is closest to your opinion.
1. In general, some people feel that the government should ensure that every person has a job and a good standard of living. Others think that the government should let each person get ahead on his or her own. What do you think?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Government's role Individual's role
2. Some people feel that the tax structure in Texas takes too much income from people in the lower- and middle-classes and not enough from the upper-classes. Others feel that the tax structure in Texas is fair and equitable. What do you think?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Unfair currently Fair currently
3. Some people think that government should provide fewer services, even in such areas as health and education, in order to reduce government spending. Other people feel that it is important to expand government services even if it means higher taxes. What do you think?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Fewer services Expand services
4. Some people think that political speech, even if it involves burning an American flag in protest, should be protected. Other people feel that speech that threatens social order should be restricted. What do you think?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Protect speech Restrict speech
5. Some people feel that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry. Other people feel that marriage should only be between one man and one woman. What do you think?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Man and Woman only Allow gay marriage
6. Some people feel that a woman should have the right to choose whether to continue or abort a pregnancy. Other people feel that government should prohibit abortion to protect life. What do you think?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Woman’s choice Prohibit abortion
In the next post, I’ll indicate how to evaluate your responses on the ideology assessment.
I can't wait to see how I scored on my ideology assessment! Although Texas may be the 9th most conservative state, Lubbock is the 2nd most conservative city in the nation. Behind only . . . Salt Lake City, I believe.
ReplyDeleteI don't doubt that Lubbock is the 2nd most conservative city in the nation according to the study by the Bay Area Center for Voting Research (BACVR). The study is at http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/metro/081205libs.pdf. Interestingly, quite a few Texas cities are among the top 25 most conservative cities with a population of more than 100,000. Also, the assumption is that people who voted knew the presidential candidates' ideology, knew their own ideology, and used that information to make their voting decision. I don't know that the assumption is valid.
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