| Seventeen Factors that Have a Statistically Significant Impact on Self-Identified Political Orientation | ||
| Of all the variables examined, these seventeen were found to have a statistically significant impact on ISI’s political orientation scale. The variables are ranked by the magnitude of their influence on a person’s political orientation.* The arrow beside each factor indicates whether it moved a person left or right and the relative magnitude of that movement. Respondents were asked whether they were liberal, moderate, or conservative; and whether they were Democrat, Independent, Republican, or other. Responses were then placed on a 1-5 scale, with “Democrat liberals” assigned a “5,” “Independent moderates” a “3,” and “Republican conservatives” a “1.” Multivariate regression analysis was then employed to determine whether each variable “moved” an individual toward the leftward or rightward pole. Interestingly, gaining a college degree moves one to the left, and gaining civic knowledge to the right. | ||
| Democrat/Liberal influence | GOP/Conservative influence | |
| Minority | ||
| Attending church at least weekly | ||
| Female | ||
| Holding Judeo-Christian religious beliefs | ||
| Unmarried | ||
| Earning a bachelor’s degree | ||
| Acquiring civic knowledge | ||
| Higher income | ||
| Living in the South | ||
| Serving in the military | ||
| Speaking English at home as a child | ||
| Engaging in political activities beyond voting | ||
| Being a parent with a child at home | ||
| Living in the Northeast | ||
| Teaching in college | ||
| Watching primetime TV sitcoms or movie DVDs | ||
| Teaching at the K–12 level | ||
| *Using standardized regression coefficients | ||
The Survey
- Summary
- Introduction
- American Mind
- Major Findings
- Additional Finding
- Conclusion
- Appendix
- Survey Methods
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