This study attempted to test Eysenck's hypothesis of ‘cross-voting’ which suggests that many middle-class people are conservative in their economic beliefs but liberal in their general social attitudes. 80 Australian and 51 British middle-class subjects completed two questionnaires and positioned themselves on a right-left wing political dimension. Despite various analyses no support was found, showing rather that conservative economic beliefs were associated with conservative social attitudes and political beliefs. Various reasons for these findings were posited, and the limitations of the study outlined.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
EysenckH. J. (1977) Psychology is about people. Harmondsworth, Eng.: Penguin.
2.
FurnhamA. (1985) A short measure of economic beliefs. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 123–126.
3.
FurnhamA. (1987) Predicting protestant work ethic beliefs. European Journal of Personality, 1, 93–106.
4.
HeathA.JowellR.CurticeJ. (1985) How Britain votes. Oxford, Eng.: Pergamon.
5.
HimmelweitH.HumphreysP.JaegerM.KatzM. (1981) How voters decide: a longitudinal study of political attitudes and voting extending over fifteen years. London: Academic Press.
6.
WilsonG. D. (1973) The psychology of conservatism. London: Academic Press.
7.
WilsonG. D.PattersonJ. (1968) A new measure of conservatism. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 7, 264–265.
