Ideological positionings of people who self-define as "center" or “not possessing ideology”

Abstract

In this study we aimed to contribute to the comprehension of the ideological positionings of Córdoba (Argenina) citizens that refuse to self-position in the ideological continuum (or that self-position in the center. A quantitative study with two samples of both sexes was performed: university students and general population. A closed questionnaire containing socio-demographical variables, ideological self-placement and ideological positionings towards situational issues (security, drugs, abortion, economy, democracy, among others) was applied. Variance Analysis was carried out to acknowledge the differences between the groups regarding their ideological positionings. Results show differential profiles between the groups, and ratify that these people possess conservative and progressive ideological positionings though they do not self-identify either with the right or with the left. Based on the results, the usefulness of transcending mere symbolic analyses of political ideology is discussed, emphasizing the contribution of operative measurements of citizenship’s political ideology.