study of perceived ideology

[handmade34]

Who is left-wing, and who just thinks they are?
James Rockey, University of Leicester, UK
April, 2010
http://www.le.ac.uk/economics/research/RePEc/lec/leecon/dp09-23.pdf

Abstract
"This paper suggests that there are consistent patterns in how different groups of individuals
perceive their relative ideological position. Using data from a large-scale cross-country survey
on individuals’ views and personal characteristics it compares who reports themselves as being
left(right) wing and who on an objective measure are actually left(right) wing. It finds, for
example, the more educated on average believe themselves to be more left wing than their
actual beliefs on a substantive issue might suggest"

"The broad conclusion of the paper must be that individuals either choose not to, or are
unable to, locate their ideological positions reliably compared to those of the positions of
their compatriots. This result complements nicely some of the work discussed in section 2,
such as Tilley and Wlezien (2008) and Caplan (2007), as this is further evidence not just that
voters are far from fully informed, but that somehow voters consistently misperceive where
they lie on the ideological spectrum. Tilley’s results suggest that uninformed voters sometimes
support parties whose policies are not commensurate with their interests and views, these
results suggest that this phenomenon is a consistent one across many countries"