IDEOLOGY IN THE PUBLIC'S CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE 1964 ELECTION

In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 33, Heft 3, S. 380-398

Abstract

2 related propositions are examined: whether the proportion of the electorate construing pol in ideological terms remains fairly constant from one election to the next - ie, whether ideological thinking is influenced by characteristics of the voter more than by characteristics of the pol'al environment: & whether the 1964 election, defined by B. Goldwater as an ideological plebiscite, was recognized as such by the public. The analysis, based on Survey Res Center data, suggests that, indeed, many people understood Goldwater only too well, & casts doubt on the hypothesis that ideological thinking is an invariant attribute of voters. In addition, an attempt is made to assess the direction of ideological sentiment in the US pop. AA.