Searching for Voters along the Liberal-Conservative Continuum: The Infrequent Ideologue and the Missing Middle
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David E RePass
This article presents a new method of measuring the ideological orientation of the American electorate, using four variables found in the American National Elections Studies. The measure is tested for validity by examining its relation to a list of fundamental beliefs that we would expect a liberal and a conservative to hold. The proportions of liberals, conservatives and middle-of-the-roaders among the electorate over the past several decades are delineated. Both ideological orientation and party identification are then examined to determine the extent to which both of these predispositions coexist among the electorate. As of 2004, only 7.4 percent of potential voters were found to be both strong conservatives and strong Republicans, while 3.2 percent were strong liberals and strong Democrats. The majority of the electorate had neither strong predisposition. This majority should not be considered middle-of-the-roaders since they have little or no cognizance of the liberal-conservative continuum. The implications of these findings for party and candidate strategies, as well as for the assumption that voters need an ideological orientation in order to make sophisticated decisions, are discussed.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- The American People and President George W. Bush: The Fall, the Rise and Fall Again
- George W. Bush and Washington Governance: Effective Use of a Self-Limiting Style
- Changing Course: Reversing the Organizational Trajectory of the Democratic Party from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama
- The Death and Life of the New Democrats
- Searching for Voters along the Liberal-Conservative Continuum: The Infrequent Ideologue and the Missing Middle
- The Limbaugh Effect: A Rush to Judging Cross-Party Raiding in the 2008 Democratic Nomination Contests
- The Demise of New Labour? The British 'Mid-Term' Elections of 2008
- Ascriptive Justice: The Prevalence, Distribution, and Consequences of Political Correctness in the Academy
- Response or Comment
- Comment on Simmons' Study of Political Correctness in the Academy
- Rejoinder to Professor Maranto
- Response to Weaver
- Review
- Review of Law and Order: Street Crime, Civil Unrest, and the Crisis of Liberalism in the 1960s
- Review of The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America and Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power
Articles in the same Issue
- Article
- The American People and President George W. Bush: The Fall, the Rise and Fall Again
- George W. Bush and Washington Governance: Effective Use of a Self-Limiting Style
- Changing Course: Reversing the Organizational Trajectory of the Democratic Party from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama
- The Death and Life of the New Democrats
- Searching for Voters along the Liberal-Conservative Continuum: The Infrequent Ideologue and the Missing Middle
- The Limbaugh Effect: A Rush to Judging Cross-Party Raiding in the 2008 Democratic Nomination Contests
- The Demise of New Labour? The British 'Mid-Term' Elections of 2008
- Ascriptive Justice: The Prevalence, Distribution, and Consequences of Political Correctness in the Academy
- Response or Comment
- Comment on Simmons' Study of Political Correctness in the Academy
- Rejoinder to Professor Maranto
- Response to Weaver
- Review
- Review of Law and Order: Street Crime, Civil Unrest, and the Crisis of Liberalism in the 1960s
- Review of The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America and Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power
