- Title
- The nature of value conflict and its consequences for public opinion
- Author
- Mulligan, Kenneth
- Degree
- Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University,
Political Science, 2004.
- Advisor
- Kathleen M. McGraw
- Pages
- 209p.
- Abstract
- Citizens of democratic societies are often asked to make political choices that require them to balance one desired goal against another. How much freedom is one willing to give up in order to achieve a more tolerant, moral, or secure society? The choices that citizens are asked to make can be difficult because they implicate conflicting principles or values. A tradition of research in political psychology suggests that value conflict is common and consequential for the expression of political attitudes. But a number of recent studies suggest that value conflict is rare and inconsequential. I address this debate, focusing on the conceptualization, measurement, and effects of value conflict on political attitudes. I argue that value conflict can be latent or subjectively felt. I show that both forms of conflict occur in mass publics and lead to ambivalence (mixed feelings and beliefs about an issue), responsiveness to persuasion, attitude instability over time, moderation, and subjective uncertainty. These results challenge the widespread assumption that the weak attitudes often expressed by ordinary Americans in opinion polls are ephemeral, shallow, and otherwise poorly considered, suggesting instead that apparently weak attitudes are sometimes rooted in deeply held but conflicting core values.
- Subject Headings
- Political Science, General
- Keywords
- attitude; opinion; public opinion; political psychology; political behavior; value; values; value conflict; ambivalence; attitude strength; nonattitude; attitude stability; persuasion; uncertainty; moderation;
Document number: osu1092075628.
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