Why We Believe in Democracy: Testing Theories of Attitude Functions and Democracy¹

Abstract

This study tested different attitude function theories, as well as hypotheses democratic theorists have developed regarding the bases of pro‐democratic attitudes. Two hundred and sixty‐six undergraduates explained why they believed in democracy, rating the aptness of 40 sentences operationalizing attitude functions, as well as the persuasiveness of six arguments framed in terms of these functions. Factor analysis suggested the existence of either four or six distinct attitude functions. Functional saliences were weakly predictive of persuasiveness ratings, and regression analyses revealed semipartial correlations between functions and age, estimated parents' income, and attitude strength. Implications were drawn for both functional theory and democratic theory and practice.

Measuring Attitudes in Test‐Alien Cultures: When Illiteracy and Unfamiliarity Do Not Matter

“…Individuals are motivated to express and communicate their likes and dislikes in everyday situations which were earlier described as the communicative or expressive function of attitude (Upmeyer et al, 1987). The functional theorists have also emphasized expressive and communicative function of attitude among a number of other functions, e.g., self-expressive (Abelson & Prentice, 1989;Pryor, Reeder & Vinacco, 1989), value-expressive (Gastil, 1992;Shavitt, 1989Shavitt, , 1990Snyder & De Bono, 1989).…”

“…Any attitudinal measurement is not a simple exercise to learn about the likes and dislikes of people but according to functional theorists it serves important psychological functions for the individuals (Gastil, 1992). Individuals are motivated to express and communicate their likes and dislikes in everyday situations which were earlier described as the communicative or expressive function of attitude (Upmeyer et al, 1987).…”

“…Researchers have studied political attitudes to assess the popularity of political leaders or political parties (Lindeman, 1993), and the concept of democracy (Gastil, 1992). These studies of political attitudes and leaders' popularity have been conducted in well-established Western democratic societies.…”

Persuasion past and present: Attitudes aren't what they used to be

“…Attitudes may serve several functions (Gastil, 1992;Herek, 1987). But phylogenetically speaking, the most basic function of all is what Smith, Bruner, and White (1956) called object appraisal.…”

Organizational Virtual Communities: Exploring Motivations Behind Online Panel Participation

“…The items are seven‐point Likert type scales anchored by strongly disagree (1) and strongly agree (7). To assess the utilitarian function, respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with four items focused on identifying whether they would participate in the online panel if there were no cash prize drawings, without financial compensation (i.e., cash drawing or payment), whether they believe financial compensation should be offered, and if the online panel helps them get what they want (Bosnjak & Batinic, 2002; Gastil, 1992). The knowledge and ego‐defensive functions were measured by scales adopted from Clary et al (1998).…”