Political attitudes and semantic worlds: a qualitative study of rationality short of political ideologies

Abstract:

This article presents an empirical study on the perceptions and political attitudes of Brazilians from seven different Brazilian metropolitan regions. Using data from 323 semi-structured interviews, the study identifies four discursive patterns related to different political attitudes and rationalities. We also investigate the association of these discursive patterns with the interviewees’ schooling and occupation. The technique used to identify these patterns is a content analysis assisted by statistical analysis of text. Substantive results point out to the limitations of the concept of ideology to explain political attitudes. Finally, the study suggests research agendas for a better assessment of how these attitudes are organized and about their role in the functioning of democratic political systems.

Keywords:
Political attitudes; Ideology; Social classes