Individual-Level Determinants of Political Ideology
Open Access
Author:
Brooks, Lauren
Area of Honors:
Political Science
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Matthew Richard Golder, Thesis Supervisor Sona N. Golder, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Political Ideology Government Intervention Religiosity Education Gender Gap Income Age Economic Conservatism
Abstract:
Why do individuals hold different ideological beliefs? Examining the determinants of political ideology has long been a topic of research within the field of political science, due to the nature of left-right ideological position influencing many of our political behaviors. I present a model that explains certain effects of individual-level determinants on political ideology, understood on an economic dimension. Using data from the pooled European Values Survey and World Values Survey, I find that education has a left-wing effect on everyone, but there is little left-right difference between low educated women and men. However, my findings suggest that education has a bigger left-wing effect for women than men. I also find that religious individuals hold more left-wing positions than the less religious, and that higher income and age have an overall right-wing effect among individuals.
