Measuring Status Inconsistency

1988 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Curtis Brown ◽  
Gary A. Cretser ◽  
Thomas E. Lasswell
Keyword(s):  
Identification Problem ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Extremism ◽  
Social Surveys ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Status Inconsistency ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior ◽  
Main Effects

There have been many attempts to isolate and measure the effects of status inconsistency (S-I) on a variety of dependent variables, including self-evaluation (Goffman, 1957), social isolation (Geschwender, 1967), political attitudes and behavior (Lenski, 1954), political extremism (Rush, 1967), prejudice (Geschwender, 1970), and psychological stress (Hornung, 1977) among numerous others. These efforts have not, for the most part, dealt satisfactorily with the identification problem demonstrated by Blalock (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968), Hodge (1970), and Hope (1975). This problem arises when one tries to separate the effects of two or more status indicators. A model that tends to overestimate S-I effects is used in the present article. Status consistency's main effects are controlled by using only consistent individuals. The model is employed to explain the variance in an array of dependent variables that have been linked to S-I. This is accomplished using two recent NORC General Social Surveys for the United States and comparative data from a Euro-barometer survey drawn from seven Western European countries. Evidence generated by “objective” measures offers little support for significant empirical effects of S-I. The few significant effects that emerge in one sample are not replicated in the others.

Understanding Police Recruits’ Attitudes Toward Public Interactions: An Australian Example

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise E. Porter ◽  
Geoffrey P. Alpert
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Police Culture ◽  
Physical Force ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Police Recruits ◽  
Code Of Silence ◽  
Police Attitudes ◽  
Culture Dimensions ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

Recent events, particularly in the United States, have highlighted strained police-citizen relations and the importance of citizens viewing police as legitimate and trustworthy. Perceptions of unreasonable police officer conduct, particularly related to demeanor and physical force, are often at the center of public complaints. The present study used survey data to explore the attitudes of 577 Australian police recruits regarding behaving disrespectfully toward, and using force against, citizens. Over all, recruits’ attitudes were positive, likely reflecting present screening processes. However, some variation was evident and predicted by selected police culture dimensions, including cynicism and police authority, as well as officer characteristics and background factors. Further, attitudes more supportive of disrespect and force were, in turn, predictive of the code of silence for such behavior, measured through hypothetical unwillingness to report colleagues’ behavior. The implications for understanding police attitudes are discussed, as well as attempts to reduce negative attitudes and behavior.

Attitudes Toward Driving Safety and Their Modification

1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Schuster
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Driving Behavior ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Driving Safety ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Good Reliability ◽  
Considerable Research ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

This paper reviews and discusses the measurement of attitudes toward traffic safety and the attempts to change these attitudes and related driving behavior. Psychological testing of such attitudes and personality characteristics is fairly well developed and there are some instruments of good reliability and useable validity. Efforts to modify driver attitudes and behavior are inconclusive and only mildly encouraging. Considerable research needs to be done before the attitudes and behavior of drivers can be changed to improve traffic safety in the United States.

scholarly journals Who sees an hourglass? Assessing citizens’ perception of local economic inequality

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 205316801879397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Newman ◽  
Sono Shah ◽  
Erinn Lauterbach
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
Economic Inequality ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Lower Income ◽  
National Surveys ◽  
Steady Growth ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Residential Context ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

The scholarly literature is observing a slow but steady growth in research exploring the effects of subnational economic inequality on political attitudes and behavior. Germane to this work is the assumption that citizens are aware of the level of inequality in their local residential context. At present, however, the evidence in support of this assumption is mixed. This article attempts to offer the literature improved tests of citizens’ awareness of local inequality by addressing a key limitation in past work—the discordance between the geographic unit underlying measures of the independent and dependent variables. Analyzing two national surveys employing a measure of perceived inequality scaled to the local level, the results suggest that citizens are indeed aware of the level of income inequality in their local environment and that the link between objective and perceived local inequality is most pronounced among lower income citizens.

scholarly journals Stepping Outside the Self Promotes Pro-Environmental Behaviors

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenxuan Hou ◽  
Emine Sarigöllü ◽  
Myung-Soo Jo ◽  
Dapeng Liang
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Environmental Attitudes ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Self ◽  
Environmental Behaviors ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Perspective Theory ◽  
Environmental Attitudes And Behavior ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

Although different self-perspectives can prompt different mindsets, leading to different responses, little is known about how self-perspective impacts pro-environmental behaviors. This study explores the effect of self-perspective, i.e., either self-immersed or self-distanced perspective, on environmental attitudes and behavior. Based on an online survey of 409 respondents in the United States, we find that pro-environmental behaviors are perceived as more important and less costly from a self-distanced perspective, compared to a self-immersed one, which in turn facilitates more engagement in pro-environmental behaviors. Furthermore, a self-distanced perspective is more prevalent than a self-immersed perspective when individuals are less satisfied with and perceive less control over their pro-environmental behaviors. This study extends the self-perspective theory to research on pro-environmental behaviors, and offers useful implications for individuals to address conflicts between environmental and self-interested considerations, as well as for public policy makers and practitioners to promote more engagement in pro-environmental behaviors.

Churches as Political Communities

1988 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 531-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Wald ◽  
Dennis E. Owen ◽  
Samuel S. Hill
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Contextual Influences ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Political Impact ◽  
Fertile Ground ◽  
Political Conservatism ◽  
Formal Organizations ◽  
Political Communities ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

Most studies of contextual influences on political attitudes and behavior have treated geographical areas as the operative social environment. As early research on social influence processes noted, the conditions that promote consensus among inhabitants of a common environment are likely to be present in formal organizations that encourage face-to-face interaction. Churches possess many of the characteristics that should maximize behavioral contagion and are thus fertile ground for the dissemination of common political outlooks. This expectation is tested by assessing the link between theological and political conservatism in 21 Protestant congregations. The theological climate in the churches is found to contribute strongly to the members' political conservatism over and above the personal commitment of respondents to traditional Christian values and a variety of social and attitudinal variables. As churches constitute the single most widespread form of voluntary organizational affiliation in the United States, their potential political impact appears to be considerable.

scholarly journals Innerbetriebliche Arbeitssituation und Teilnahme an freiwilligen Vereinigungen / Work Experience and Participation in Voluntary Associations

1978 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dieter Fröhlich
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Voluntary Associations ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Negative Work ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
Partial Correlations ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior ◽  
Compensation Hypothesis

AbstractWhat kind of relationships does exist between a person’s work experience and his attitudes and behavior in the non-work sphere? Do negative work experiences extend into the realm of non-work with the same connotation (extension hypothesis)? Are negative work experiences compensated off work (compensation hypothesis) or are both realms, in principle, unconnected (autonomy hypothesis)? Which dimensions of work experience influence the non-work sphere within the scope of the extension and the compensation hypothesis? - These problems are empirically evaluated, taking membership and activities in voluntary associations as the dependent variables. The data consist of 928 closed interviews with employed males in Northrhine-Westphalia. The dimensions of work experience were measured through statements. These were factoranalysed and converted into indexes. The statistical evaluation is based on partial correlations, taking demographic data into account. - On the whole, the results are in favor of the autonomy hypothesis; in some cases, there are significant but weak relationships in favor of the extension hypothesis; the compensation hypothesis proved to be least fruitful. The results are compared as to content and method with other similar research.

scholarly journals Consumer Perceptions, Attitudes, and Purchase Behavior with Landscape Plants during Real and Perceived Drought Periods

HortScience ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinda Knuth ◽  
Bridget K. Behe ◽  
Charles R. Hall ◽  
Patricia T. Huddleston ◽  
R. Thomas Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Water Conservation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Consumer Perceptions ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Landscape Plants ◽  
The Future ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Attitudes And Behavior

In the coming decades, no natural resource may prove to be more critical to human health and well-being than water. There is abundant evidence that the condition of water resources in many parts of the United States is deteriorating. In some regions of the country, the availability of sufficient water to meet growing domestic uses, and the future sufficiency of water to support the use of landscape plants where we live, work, and play is in doubt. Conservation through water efficiency measures and water management practices may be the best way to help resolve water problems. Yet, consumer perceptions and attitudes and behavior toward water conservation may differ widely, particularly in the presence of drought. This study sought to add to the current horticulture and water conservation literature by exploring consumer attitudes and behavior during real and perceived drought situations, especially in terms of their landscape purchases and gardening/landscaping activities. Study findings could better inform educational programs and marketing strategies, helping to ensure the future demand of Green Industry products and services. With a national sample of 1543 subjects, an online survey tool was used to classify respondents into categories based on whether they accurately perceived if the region in which they lived was experiencing drought. We hypothesized that consumers were heterogeneous in their attitudes and behavior regarding plants and water conservation, depending on their real and perceived drought situations, and that their attitudes affected their behavior regarding plant purchases. Results confirmed this hypothesis. Attitudes and behaviors for those who correctly perceived they were in drought were different from those who correctly perceived they were not in drought, as well as those who incorrectly did not perceive they were in an actual drought.

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