The Multiple Causes of Citizen Ambivalence: Attitudes about Social Welfare Policy

Prior research has focused almost exclusively on value conflict as a source of attitudinal ambivalence, with mixed and often modest empirical results. Using data from a 2004 survey of voters in Florida, we examine multiple potential sources of ambivalence about social welfare policy. We find that ambivalence is rooted in value conflict, as well as in affective conflict, ambivalence about government, partisan ambivalence, value importance, and group membership. Our results suggest that while value conflict is one of several factors that foster ambivalence, it does not have the greatest effect.