Symbolic Politics and the Prediction of Attitudes Toward Federal Regulation of Reduced-Exposure Tobacco Products
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2011
Abstract
The present study relies on symbolic politics theory to predict public attitudes toward the federal regulation of conventional tobacco products (a familiar attitude object) and reduced-exposure tobacco products (a relatively novel attitude object). We predicted that attitudes toward most forms of regulation would be more strongly influenced by symbolic beliefs about the role of government in society than by self-interested concerns, with the exception of taxation. We predicted that the financial consequences of taxation policies would be less ambiguous for those who are affected, resulting in a stronger relationship between self-interest and policy attitudes. The results strongly supported our hypotheses, suggesting a process by which symbolic beliefs and self-interested concerns influence attitude formation. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.
Department
Psychology
Publication Title
Journal of Applied Social Psychology
Recommended Citation
Kim, A., Stark, E., Borgida, E. (2011). Symbolic Politics and the Prediction of Attitudes Toward Federal Regulation of Reduced-Exposure Tobacco Products. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(2), 381-400. doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00718.x
DOI
10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00718.x
Link to Publisher Version (DOI)
Publisher's Copyright and Source
Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons. Article published by John Wiley & Sons in Journal of Applied Social Psychology, volume 41, issue number 2, February 2011, pages 381-400. Article available online on February 22, 2011: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00718.x
