Consistency Among the Public's Social Welfare Policy Attitudes in the 1960s

Cognitive consistency theorists postulate that most people seek to maintain congruence their beliefs and attitudes. However, many political scientists point to evidence from social surveys which indicate that the mass public lacks the cognitive capabilities necessary to achieve stable and coherent political belief systems. This study attempts to resolve the differences between these two schools of thought about the nature of the populace's political thinking. Analysis of the Survey Research Center's 1964 and 1968 survey data suggests that, in periods of intense issue cleavage, consistent attitudes about social welfare policies are found among all segments of the citizenry.