(Dis)similarity Between Liberals and Conservatives: Predicting Variability in Group Differences on Abortion and Same-Sex Marriage Rights Attitudes

Abstract

The focus on liberal and conservative differences is extensive, yet there is little attention to variability in these differences. In this study, factors that moderated attitude differences were identified. Group identity strength (i.e., how strongly individuals identified as liberal or conservative), how highly individuals considered the social issue to be personally relevant to their political identity (i.e., issue relevance), attitude strength and ambivalence all moderated the extent to which liberals and conservatives differed in their attitudes toward abortion and same-sex marriage rights. By bridging the attitude strength and social identity literature, these findings begin to characterize which liberals and conservatives are more likely to be polarized and extreme in their attitudes, and which ones, despite their opposing ideology alignments, differ little from one another on attitudes normally polarized around these identities.

Notes

Note. N = 314–322. AR = abortion rights; SSM = same-sex marriage rights; ID Strength = group identity strength; AR/SSM Strength = strength of abortion rights/same-sex marriage rights attitudes; AR/SSM Ambiv. = abortion rights/same-sex marriage rights attitude ambivalence; AR/SSM Relev. = personal relevance of the issue of abortion/same-sex marriage to individuals’ own liberal or conservative identity.

*p < .05. **p < .01.

Note. L/C = Liberal or conservative. Coefficients are from the final step in the model including the main and two-way interaction effects.

*p < .05. ***p < .001.

Note. AR = abortion rights; SSM = same-sex marriage.

**p < .01. ***p < .001.