Identifications and Issue Positions of USCA Students

Identifications and Issue Positions of USCA Students Two Major Questions: 1) How well were your socialized? 2) How do you compare to other USCA students? Based on the 2011 USCA Student Survey

Methodology for the 2011 USCA Student Socialization Survey • Population: USCA undergraduates, not including international students, November 2011 • Target Sample: 1000 via email using Lime Survey • Response Rate: 53% -- 531 completed • Probably higher b/c 10-20% students do not read email • Incentives: drawing four $50 prizes • Telephone and email follow-ups • Sample representative wrt gender and ethnicity • Sampling Error = + - 4%

Parent’s Party Identifications Record the following in a piece of paper. FPID: What is your father’s party identification? 1) Democrat 2) Independent or don’t know 3) Republican MPID: What is your mother’s party identification? 1) Democrat 2) Independent or don’t know 3) Republican YPID: What is your party identification? 1) Democrat 2) Independent or don’t know 3) Republican

Partisanship: effective parental and community socializationDo you match your parents?

Ideological Self-Identification Ideol: Which of the following comes closest to describing your views on politics? 1) Liberal 2) Middle of the road 3) Conservative

Ideological Identification: Fairly Effective Community SocializationDo you match your community?

Question #1. Pot Instructions: On that piece of paper number down 1-13 below where you recorded your parents’ and you party identifications and your ideology. Pick the answers that best fit your views and place the code for that answer next to the question number. • Do you favor or oppose the legalization of marijuana? 0) favor 1) oppose 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 2. Evolution 2. Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin and development of human beings? 0) Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process. 0.5) Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process. 1) God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so. 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 3. Gay Marriage 3. Do you favor or oppose allowing gays and lesbians to marry freely? 0) favor 1) Oppose 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 4. Abortion 4. Which opinion on abortion best fits your views on when the law should permit abortion? 0) abortion should be completely a woman’s personal choice 0.5) only in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother or fetus has very serious health issues or only when the woman’s life is in danger 1) abortion should never be permitted 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 5. Global Warming 5. You may have heard about the idea that the world's temperature may have been going up slowly over the past 100 years. What is your personal opinion on this - do you think this has: 0)Probably been happening 1)Probably not been happening 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 6. Taxing Wealthy 6. Which of these statements comes closest to your view? Taxes on the wealthy should be kept ______ 0) HIGH so the government can use their money for programs to help lower-income people 1)LOW because they invest their money in the private sector & that helps the economy & creates jobs. 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 7. Health Care 7. Which is closest to your view on health care? 0) government should make sure that everyone has at least minimal access to health care 0.5) government should only provide care for the elderly, poor children, and the disabled • the free market should control health care with minimal government regulation 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 8. Social Security 8. Which is closer to your view on Social Security? 0) Social Security should be kept and only make changes necessary to make it financially sound 1) Social Security should be phased out and replaced by voluntary savings 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 9. Government Spending 9. Which comes closer to your view on government and the economy? Government should _________________________. 0) be willing to run deficits to try to save jobs and stimulate the economy 1) cut spending to reduce deficits even if that means major cuts in public services 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 10. Book Censorship 10. Suppose a person who favors terrorism against the US writes a book that is critical of the US. If this book was in the local public library, would you favor removing it or not? 0) not remove 1) Remove 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Question 11. Confederate Flag 11. There continues to be some talk about flying the Confederate Battle Flag on the statehouse grounds in Columbia. Do you think it should be removed or kept there? 0) removed 0.5) mixed feelings 1) kept there 0.5) I have not had time to think about this issue

Issue Total Score • Add up the codes for the 11 questions you just answered and write it to the side of the answers • Issue Score = ______________

USCA Students on Issues

USCA Students Overall Score on all 11 IssuesThis is on a 12 point scale from 0 (liberal on all issues) to 6 (neutral point) to 11 (conservative on all issues)

USCA Students Overall Score on all 11 IssuesThis is on a 12 point scale from 0 (liberal on all issues) to 5.5 (the neutral middle point) to 11 (conservative on all issues)

USCA Students Overall Score on all 11 IssuesThis is on a 12 point scale from 0 (liberal on all issues) to 5.5 (neutral point) to 11 (conservative on all issues)

Questions to Consider • Do students seem to choose party because of issues? • Do students choose ideology because of issues? • Which seems to predict party and ideology better, issues or identities inherited from parents and community? • How about you? Are your identities the result of socialization or based on your own issue positions, such as these or other issues?

Identifications and Issue Positions of USCA Students