EXERCISE ON SCALING

1. Examine tables 1 and 1b. Explain why you think that the variables in table 1b had to be
eliminated when using the Cronbach Alfa test for consistency.


Table 1: Svallfors’ Index of Government Intervention, using Cronbach’s alfa.

v44: On the whole, do you think it should be or should not be the government’s responsibility to
provide decent housing for those who can’t afford it? (RHOUSE)

v38: On the whole, do you think it should be or should not be the government’s responsibility to
provide health care for the sick? (RHEALTH)

v39: On the whole, do you think it should be or should not be the government’s responsibility to
provide a decent standard of living for the old? (LVSOLD)

v41: On the whole, do you think it should be or should not be the government’s responsibility to
provide a decent standard of living for the unemployed? (LIVUNEMP)

v43: On the whole, do you think it should be or should not be the government’s responsibility to
provide a decent standard of living to university students from low-income families? (RESPSTU)

v36: On the whole, do you think it should be or should not be the government’s responsibility to
provide a job for everyone who wants one? (RJOBS)

v16: Do you think that it is the responsibility of the government to reduce the differences in
income between people with high incomes and those with low incomes. (REDISTR)

v18: Do you think the government should control  prices by law. (PRICECON)


Table 1b: Some variables excluded by Svallfors

v20 Do you think the government should finance projects to create new job?.  (job)

v17: % Do you think the government should control  wages by law? (wagecon)

v18: % “strongly in favor of” or “in favor of” control of prices by law. (PRICECON)

v19: % Do you think the government should cut spending? (cuts)








2. Examine table 2. When applying factor analysis to attitudes in Poland, three factors were found.
Try to interpret what these three factors mean.

                                     Table 2: Factor Analysis




                              Factor  1     Factor  2     Factor  3


                  GOVJOB          .83083       -.05095       -.04125

                  GOVINC          .81481        .00500       -.03441

                  REDISTR         .57657       -.11331        .05344

                  WELFARE         .33374        .08209       -.00137


                  RUNHOME        -.07127        .85254       -.00515

                  MENPOL          .05589        .84822        .03803

                  WORKCHLD        .00643        .41488       -.01888


                  PROABORT       -.10407        .07192       -.70041

                  DIVORCE         .03379       -.07644       -.64182

                  RIGHTIST       -.05321       -.01452        .57308



GOVJOB=support for the notion that government has a duty to provide jobs (v2046).

GOVINC=support for the notion that government should guarantee a minimum income (v2047).

REDISTR=belief that government should reduce income inequalities (v262).

WELFARE=the opinion that government is spending too little on welfare (v72).

RUNHOME=disagreement with the opinion that "women should take care of running their homes and leave
running the country up to men" (v89).

MENPOL=disagreement with the opinion that men are more suited emotionally for politics (v88).

WORKCHLD=agreement that "a working mother can establish just as warm and secure a relationship with
her children as a mother who does not work" (v90).

PROABORT=support for the right to abortion "if the woman wants it for any reason" (v311).

DIVORCE=belief that it should be made easier to obtain a divorce (v304).

RIGHTIST=the degree of rightwing political orientation between 1-10 (v328).