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Whites' Opposition to “Busing”: Self-interest or Symbolic Politics?

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  • Sears, David O.
  • Hensler, Carl P.
  • Speer, Leslie K.

Abstract

This article contrasts the “self-interest” and “symbolic politics” explanations for the formation of mass policy preferences and voting behavior. Self-interested attitudes are defined as those supporting policies that would maximize benefits and minimize costs to the individual's private material well-being. The “symbolic politics” model emphasizes pressures to make adulthood attitudes consistent with the residues of preadult socialization. We compare the two models in terms of their ability to account for whites' opposition to busing school children for racial integration of the public schools, and the role of the busing issue in presidential voting decisions, using the 1972 Center for Political Studies election study. Regression analysis shows strong effects of symbolic attitudes (racial intolerance and political conservatism) on opposition to busing, and of the busing issue on presidential voting decisions. Self-interest (e.g., having children susceptible to busing) had no significant effect upon either. It is concluded that self-interest is often overestimated as a determinant of public opinion and voting behavior because it is too rarely directly assessed empirically.

Suggested Citation

  • Sears, David O. & Hensler, Carl P. & Speer, Leslie K., 1979. "Whites' Opposition to “Busing”: Self-interest or Symbolic Politics?," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 73(2), pages 369-384, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:73:y:1979:i:02:p:369-384_16
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    Cited by:

    1. Micheal W. Giles & Arthur Evans, 1986. "The Power Approach to Intergroup Hostility," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 30(3), pages 469-486, September.
    2. Jason Barabas, 1998. "Wage Erosion, Economic Assessments, and Social Welfare Opinions," JCPR Working Papers 56, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    3. Cochran, John K. & Chamlin, Mitchell B., 2006. "The enduring racial divide in death penalty support," Journal of Criminal Justice, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 85-99.
    4. Cardell K. Jacobson, 1985. "Resistance to Affirmative Action," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 29(2), pages 306-329, June.
    5. Ashley D. Ross & Stella M. Rouse, 2015. "Economic Uncertainty, Job Threat, and the Resiliency of the Millennial Generation's Attitudes Toward Immigration," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 96(5), pages 1363-1379, November.
    6. Matthew J. Burbank & Daniel Levin, 2015. "Community Attachment and Voting for School Vouchers," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 96(5), pages 1169-1177, November.
    7. Patrick Welch, 2007. "How Can US Schools Desegregate After the End of Busing?," Forum for Social Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 53-62, January.
    8. Elliott, Catherine S. & Fitzgerald, Keith & Hayward, Donald M. & Krasteva, Stela, 2009. "Some indications of limits to framing the policy preferences of the civically engaged: Interplay of social capital, race attitudes, and social justice frames," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 96-103, January.

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