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THIS ARTICLE RE-EXAMINES THE MEANING OF SOUTHERN PARTY LOYALTIES. DRAWING FROM SURVEY DATA GATHERED IN THE EARLY 1970S, IT IS ARGUED THAT THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL CONVENTIONS HAVE UNDERESTIMATED THE DEGREE TO WHICH INTRA-PARTY DIVISION IS MANIFESTED IN SOUTHERN PARTISAN PERCEPTIONS AND IDENTIFICATIONS.

The federal government system in the US creates the possibility that voters might cast their votes inconsistently with reference to party. While research has shown that little inclination to shift party with government level exists, it remains likely that the strength of identification might vary with level. Results here show that the U of Michigan's Center for Political Studies (CPS) questionnaire, the most sustained instrument delving into these matters, may mask rather than reveal variations. When the standard CPS question is used alongside an alternate question, the CPS question obscures differences in strength of identification. These differences are magnified because the voters for whom they pertain tend to be more politically active & more highly educated than the bulk of voters. 1 Table. G. Hydoski.