| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Description | The McClosky Democratic Attitudes Survey (McClosky, 1964) was developed within the context of a study of consensus and ideology in American politics. The survey consists of 6 scales measuring various democratic attitudes: Attitudes Towards the Rules of the Game (12 items), Attitudes to General Statements about Free Speech and Opinion (8 items), Attitudes to Specific Applications of Free Speech and Procedural Rights (9 items), Support for Different aspects of Equality (15 items), Cynicism Towards Government and Politics (14 items), and Sense of Political Futility (7 items). Respondents express agreement or disagreement with 65 items. The survey was validated through empirical procedures or a modified Guttman reproducibility procedure. |
| Author | McClosky, Herbert |
| Purpose | To measure political attitudes associated with democracy. |
| Construct | Democratic Attitudes |
| Instrument Type | Survey |
| Source Used | McClosky, H. (1964). Consensus and ideology in American politics. American Political Science Review, 58(2), 361–382. https://doi.org/10.2307/1952868 |
| Reliability | No reliability indicated. |
| Validity | The scales were independently validated using empirical validation procedures or a modified Guttman reproducibility procedure. |
| Factor Analysis | The survey consists of 6 scales: Attitudes Towards the Rules of the Game, Attitudes to General Statements about Free Speech and Opinion, Attitudes to Specific Applications of Free Speech and Procedural Rights, Support for Different aspects of Equality, Cynicism Towards Government and Politics, and Sense of Political Futility. |
| Classification | Religious and Political Beliefs |
| Age Group | Adulthood (18 yrs & older) |
| Population Group | Human; Male; Female |
| Population Details | Location: United States; Sample: General Electorate; Political Influentials |
| Keywords | American Politics; Attitudes to General Statements About Free Speech and Opinion Scale; Attitudes to Specific Applications of Free Speech and Procedural Rights Scale; Attitudes Towards the Rules of the Game Scale; Consensus; Cynicism Towards Government and Politics Scale; Democratic Attitudes; Factor Structure; General Electorate; Ideology; McClosky Democratic Attitudes Survey; Political Influentials; Sense of Political Futility Scale; Support for Different Aspects of Equality Scale; Test Development; Test Validity |
| Index Terms | Attitude Measures; Cynicism; Democracy; Factor Structure; Government; Political Attitudes; Politics; Social Equality; Surveys; Test Construction; Test Validity; Ideology; Free Speech |
| Test Year | 1964 |
| Format | Respondents express agreement or disagreement with 65 items. |
| Administration Method | Paper |
| Test Items Available | No, contact the author or publisher for obtaining the test items. |
| Commercial | No |
| Fee | No |
| Language Present | English |
| Language Available | English |
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2026). McClosky Democratic Attitudes Survey. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/mcclosky-democratic-attitudes-survey/
Mohammed looti. "McClosky Democratic Attitudes Survey." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 4 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/mcclosky-democratic-attitudes-survey/.
Mohammed looti. "McClosky Democratic Attitudes Survey." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/mcclosky-democratic-attitudes-survey/.
Mohammed looti (2026) 'McClosky Democratic Attitudes Survey', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/mcclosky-democratic-attitudes-survey/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "McClosky Democratic Attitudes Survey," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.
Mohammed looti. McClosky Democratic Attitudes Survey. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.