Beyond taking an interest in politics, we might think of discussing it as the next step in political engagement. Indeed, we could reasonably go as far as to describe discussing politics as a political act, given that it involves interacting with others and can often have an element of trying to persuade them of something.Continue reading “Survey Variable: Discussion of Politics”
Author Archives: joegreenwoodhau
Survey Variable: Political Interest
Beyond asking about whether people think politics is for people like them, and whether they think of themselves as political, the survey also asked about whether they are interested in politics. These are all distinct questions, but people’s answers are likely to be closely related. It is worth asking all of them, however, so thatContinue reading “Survey Variable: Political Interest”
Survey Variable: Political Person
In addition to asking whether ‘politics is for people like you’, the survey asked each respondent whether they consider themselves to be a ‘political person.’ These two questions both focus on people’s relationship with politics but the second shifts the focus from the general accessibility of the system to individual dispositions. The order of theContinue reading “Survey Variable: Political Person”
Survey Variable: Politics for You
There are numerous ways to ask about people’s political engagement and how they think politics relates to them. Two of the most straightforward questions in this area ask about whether people think of themselves as political, and whether they think politics is for people like them. The survey asked both of these questions and randomiseContinue reading “Survey Variable: Politics for You”
Survey Variable: Self-Esteem
How people think and feel about themselves can be an important factor in shaping their behaviour, both in terms of political participation and more widely. One particularly important factor may be whether you hold yourself in high regard: those who think of themselves as having high levels of ability may be more confident, and thisContinue reading “Survey Variable: Self-Esteem”
Survey Variable: Social Network Strength
As noted elsewhere, social capital has many components: the size of your social network, its level of interaction, its homogeneity, and the statuses of the people within it. An additional key component, and the last one we consider, is the strength of the network. One indicator this is the amount of help that people withinContinue reading “Survey Variable: Social Network Strength”
Survey Variable: Social Network Homogeneity
There are numerous components of social capital: the size of your network, your amount of interaction within it, and the occupational status of your acquaintances all matter. Additionally, the social homogeneity of the network is important, because it is likely to affect the number and range of experiences and perspectives that you encounter. The surveyContinue reading “Survey Variable: Social Network Homogeneity”
Survey Variable: Social Network Interaction
In addition to the statuses of the people who you know, and the number of acquaintances that you have, an important component of social capital is how often you interact with those acquaintances. The survey asked people a series of questions designed to measure social network interaction, focusing on how often people talk to theirContinue reading “Survey Variable: Social Network Interaction”
Survey Variable: Social Network Size
A key feature of social capital is how many people we know. Some people have large networks of friends and acquaintances whilst others know just a few people. In each case there is also variation in how well people know their acquaintances, and we often have closer and more distant friendships. To investigate these variations,Continue reading “Survey Variable: Social Network Size”
Survey Variable: Occupational Status of Acquaintances
One of the key components of social capital is the status of the people that we know. Status can be measured in numerous ways, but occupation is often taken as a key indicator. Moving in the same circles as judges, military officers, and company directors is a rather different proposition than socialising with call centreContinue reading “Survey Variable: Occupational Status of Acquaintances”
Privilege and Participation 