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Ideologically Illogical? Why Do the Lower-Educated Dutch Display so Little Value Coherence?

Ideologically Illogical? Why Do the Lower-Educated Dutch Display so Little Value Coherence? In studies of mass ideology, it is often found that political values are ordered two-dimensionally among the public at large. In a first economic dimension, equality is contested; in a second cultural one, individual freedom is contested. While this general rule of two-dimensionality applies to the public at large, there are large differences between educational categories. While two-dimensionality is found for the lower educated, the higher educated order their values along a single dimension and hence show more value coherence. Using a recent Dutch national survey, we show that these differences between the higher and the lower educated cannot be explained by differences in political competence. Instead, a combination of cultural and economic insecurity is responsible for the lower levels of value coherence among the lower educated. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Social Forces Oxford University Press

Ideologically Illogical? Why Do the Lower-Educated Dutch Display so Little Value Coherence?

Achterberg, Peter; Houtman, Dick
Social Forces , Volume 87 (3) – Mar 1, 2009
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References (75)

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
© Published by Oxford University Press.
Subject
Other Articles
ISSN
0037-7732
eISSN
1534-7605
DOI
10.1353/sof.0.0164
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In studies of mass ideology, it is often found that political values are ordered two-dimensionally among the public at large. In a first economic dimension, equality is contested; in a second cultural one, individual freedom is contested. While this general rule of two-dimensionality applies to the public at large, there are large differences between educational categories. While two-dimensionality is found for the lower educated, the higher educated order their values along a single dimension and hence show more value coherence. Using a recent Dutch national survey, we show that these differences between the higher and the lower educated cannot be explained by differences in political competence. Instead, a combination of cultural and economic insecurity is responsible for the lower levels of value coherence among the lower educated.

Journal

Social Forces – Oxford University Press

Published: Mar 1, 2009

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