Development of a new measure of political ideology

ABSTRACT

Ideology is central to political psychology, but despite recent renewed interest in studying political ideology, its measurement is inconsistent. Ideology scales are numerous and heterogeneous in content. Further, there is disagreement on whether ideology is unidimensional multi-dimensional, and what the nature of these dimensions are. These inconsistencies limit the generalizability of conclusions made about ideology as it relates to political views and behaviour. There is a clear need for a conceptual model that is grounded in theory, and for a well-validated scale that organizes and quantifies ideology. Chapter 1 reviews the state of ideology measurement and identifies plausible dimensions supported by the literature. Chapter 2 involves the development of the new political ideology scale (NPIS) and two exploratory factor analyses (EFA) with samples of 426 postsecondary students and 239 Canadian adults, respectively, which explored the latent structure of the items. Chapter 3 involved three studies using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with samples of 484 (Time 1) and 388 (Time 2) Canadian adults, 522 postsecondary students, and 191 Canadian adults, respectively. These studies tested the fit of the refined item pool and established a three-factor structure of ideology comprising egalitarianism, traditionalism, and authoritarianism factors. Construct and criterion validity analyses were also conducted. The three factors were associated to varying degrees with personality traits;social dominance and right-wing authoritarianism;party affiliation and voting behaviour;support for normative and radical collective action;views on Canadian political policies;and perceptions of the COVID-19 virus, government response, and vaccination intentions. Chapter 4 involves a latent profile analysis (LPA) suggesting four patterns of scores, which were associated with different demographic features and views on collective action a highly egalitarian, very anti-authoritarian and very progressive profile;an egalitarian, moderately authoritarian, and moderately progressive profile;a highly authoritarian, slightly anti-egalitarian, and highly traditional profile;and a very anti-egalitarian, moderately authoritarian, highly traditional profile. Chapter 5 involves an experimental study on persuasive messaging and ideology as it relates to COVID-19 vaccination intentions. The studies provide a foundation for a more cohesive study of ideology, and the scale has potential applications for any research requiring measurement of core political values. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)