In Search of Left/Right Beliefs in the Canadian Electorate

In: Canadian journal of political science: CJPS = Revue canadienne de science politique : RCSP, Volume 19, Issue 3, p. 541-563

Abstract

An examination of alternative ways of assessing the meanings given by 3,377 Rs to the 1984 Canadian National Election Study to the terms "Left" & "Right." About 40% of Rs defined the terms, while about 60% stated feelings toward them & used a Left-Right scale to describe their own political orientations. Left signified socialism or communism for about 50% of Rs, especially among those who disliked the Left. Right signified conservatism for 25% of Rs. Factor analysis of self-ratings & 15 attitude statement responses shows a weak association of Left with support for strikes. Among a criterion group of Rs with U degrees, self-rating correlated with attitudes toward the military & toward economic inequality & social welfare. Rs' ratings of themselves on the Left/Right scale more closely resembled their ratings of their preferred parties than their ratings of other parties; the strength of the resemblance varied with that of party identification. The concepts of Left & Right are not held by the entire electorate, but have the capacity to reach diverse subsets of the electorate who define them in different ways. 8 Tables. Modified HA