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Politics, Partisanship, and Social Position in Belize

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

David Hanson*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001

Extract

This paper presents data on the social and political opinions of junior college students in Belize (British Honduras) prior to independence. The data are intended to give a preliminary indication of current patterns of conflict and consensus which can be used as a bench mark against which future development in Belizean political culture can be measured. The organization of the data has been based on theoretical considerations of political development and socialization in transitional societies.

A major influence on political attitudes and partisanship is the impact of social identity. In the United States, a self-identification as a Republican or a Democrat usually carries connotations of a wider range of social characteristics. In fact, people often adopt the partisan identification most appropriate to their social situation. Once acquired, partisan attitudes tend to influence other political attitudes as people react to issues and events in a way that tends to support and justify their party choices (Dawson and Prewitt, 1969).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 1974

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