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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Articles 1 - 9 of 9

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Ideological Extremism, Conspiratorial Thought, And Support For Authoritarianism In The United States, Sophie N. Martino Dec 2022

Ideological Extremism, Conspiratorial Thought, And Support For Authoritarianism In The United States, Sophie N. Martino

Honors Theses

Since the nation’s founding, Americans have tended to take democracy for granted. People see democracy as a given, believing that adherence to democratic values will persist. However, in the past few election cycles, there has been a trend in support for authoritarianism in the United States – not just with political leaders and figures, but also with individuals susceptible to authoritarian values and signals. This thesis seeks to address this apparent threat of authoritarianism in the United States, delving into possible factors that play a role in the growing support for authoritarian attitudes among Americans. I believe that two phenomena …


How Religion And Age Are Correlated With Partisan Geographical Sorting In The United States, Claire Monsour May 2022

How Religion And Age Are Correlated With Partisan Geographical Sorting In The United States, Claire Monsour

Honors Theses

This study explores the intersection of two main demographic variables, religion and age, and the ongoing phenomenon of partisan geographical sorting in the United States. Americans have been migrating to areas composed of politically like-minded individuals for the past few decades, resulting in the existence of Republican and Democratic clusters throughout the country. Republicans are sorting into rural areas, while Democrats are sorting into urban areas. Republicans and rural residents as a whole are more religious than are Democrats and urban residents. In addition, on average, Republicans and rural residents are older than Democrats and urban residents. Moreover, religion and …


Voting Behavior And Motivations Across Generations: Evidence From A Nationally Representative U.S. Survey, Angela Alexander May 2022

Voting Behavior And Motivations Across Generations: Evidence From A Nationally Representative U.S. Survey, Angela Alexander

Honors Theses

The four generations of Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z are all distinct in nature as it relates to their characteristics, which are shaped by the American culture in which they were born. These generations as a whole also have different levels of political participation and political ideals. The purpose of this study is to examine how these differences correlate to voting behavior. The goal is to draw conclusions about the differences between voting behavior across generational lines, discovering patterns especially as it relates to motivations for voting. Through the use of a nationally representative survey, I was …


Education, Media Coverage, And Ballot Roll-Off: Evidence From Three Ballot Measures In Mississippi, Morgan Atkins May 2022

Education, Media Coverage, And Ballot Roll-Off: Evidence From Three Ballot Measures In Mississippi, Morgan Atkins

Honors Theses

Ballot roll-off is an issue that continues to plague American society, leaving thousands of ballots incomplete every election cycle. In my research, I investigate what influences the likelihood of voters rolling off on three ballot measures in the 2020 Mississippi elections. I hypothesize that educational attainment and newspaper coverage in voters’ counties will have an impact on ballot roll-off. I observe previous research on the influences of ballot roll-off, and I combine the data I collected for voter turnout in Mississippi in 2020 and newspaper coverage of ballot measures from six sources to evaluate the influence of each of these …


Delineating The Source And Implications Of Social Polarization, Logan Kohan May 2022

Delineating The Source And Implications Of Social Polarization, Logan Kohan

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to examine the causes and consequences that meta-perceptions of polarization in the United States entails. The survey used in this study assessed respondents demographic and political information prior to questions regarding polarization. This study found that the polarization in the United States results from a multitude of variables, including: the intrusion of partisan cues into everyday life, social sorting, polarization’s implicit effect, and differences in moral concern. Moreover, polarization encompasses and variety of ramifications that include disease, amplified interparty animosity, biased policy evaluation, reduced governmental efficiency, intraparty polarization, tribalism, and the quest to achieve …


Employing A Public Policy Evaluative Framework: An Analysis Of Domestic Theme Park Development, Anthony Gray Houser May 2022

Employing A Public Policy Evaluative Framework: An Analysis Of Domestic Theme Park Development, Anthony Gray Houser

Honors Theses

The intention of the thesis is to examine the relationship between the development of the Walt Disney Company’s theme parks and public policy. Using the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California and the Walt Disney World Resort outside of Orlando, Florida as case studies, this thesis will execute a comparative analysis to better understand the relationship between the Walt Disney Company’s theme parks and public policy. Using an evaluative framework, this thesis will provide a deeper understanding of how public policy affected the development and the current operations of these theme parks. The driving research question in this thesis is, ‘what …


Finding Aid For The Sam Lumpkin Collection (Mum00141) Jan 2022

Finding Aid For The Sam Lumpkin Collection (Mum00141)

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids

Papers, photographs, and scrapbooks of Sam Lumpkin of Tupelo, Mississippi. He served as a Democrat in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1932 to 1942 and as Speaker of the House from 1940-1942. Lumpkin was Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 1948 to 1952. During the 1952 presidential election, he led the faction of Democrats who supported Republican presidential nominee Dwight D. Eisenhower.


Finding Aid For The Tyrone K. Yates/John F. Kennedy Collection (Mum01774) Jan 2022

Finding Aid For The Tyrone K. Yates/John F. Kennedy Collection (Mum01774)

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids

The Tyrone K. Yates/John F. Kennedy Collection consists largely of John F. Kennedy campaign material and memorabilia, as well as publications by and about the thirty-fifth president of the United States. It also includes a number of items related to other presidents and campaigns.


Finding Aid For The Jamie L. Whitten Collection (Mum00732) Jan 2022

Finding Aid For The Jamie L. Whitten Collection (Mum00732)

Archives & Special Collections: Finding Aids

Jamie L. Whitten represented his Mississippi district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1941 to 1995 and chaired the powerful Committee on Appropriations from 1979 through 1992.