The Structure of Public Support for Legislative Institutions

G. R. Boynton, University of Iowa
Samuel Patterson
Ronald Hedlund

Abstract

Research on relationships between legislators and their constituents generally has proceeded from the point of view of demand inputs. This paper views legislator-constituent relations from the viewpoint of supportive attitudes toward the legislature, rather than focusing on demands made upon it. Based upon interview data from a household probability sample of adults in Iowa, this study maps the structure of legislative support in major social and political strata of the Iowa population. Likert-type attitudinal items reflecting public support for the legislature are factor analyzed, and respondents factor scored. Analysis of variance is used to assess relationships between legislative support and 1) standard indicators of social strata: occupation, income, education and size of place; and 2) indicators of political stratification: political knowledge and political participation.