My topic blog post will cover a case study entitled "Why do people support gun control?: Alternative explanations of support for handgun bans" written by Gary Kleck. This study used a Bivariate correlation matrix as well as a national telephone survey to conclude its results.
This study is one instance in which polling and surveys have the potential to impact public policy. The research question for this study is whether or not the Americans' stance on gun control stem more from the culture conflict perspective or if their stance is derived from the direct measure of cultural traits.
The author performed the research utilizing a multitude of methods. The author, Gary Kleck, used a Bivariate correlation matrix to establish causality and a clustered two-stage modified Mitofsky-Waksberg method to select sampling. The Mitosfsky-Waksberg method included a national telephone survey of four hundred and fifty individuals, over the age of eighteen. The telephone survey equipment randomly dialed digits so that cell phones and unlisted numbers would be included. Through reading the Polling and the Public, we have learned that although telephone surveys have many advantages, they also have disadvantages such as not being able to reach people without phones. In this study, if someone declined the telephone survey, they would go through a nine step process before being taken out of the pool of possible participants.
The research found that individuals with a propensity towards negatively stereotyping gun owners were likely to support gun control. It was also found that gun owners were likely to oppose any bans on guns if it was in their own self interest to do so. This was the case, even if it was in the best interest of the public to support gun control. Below is a model which describes the results for the support or no support or of a Handgun Ban. Negative and positive causality and correlation can be illustrated within the chart.
Kleck, Gary. 2009. "Why do people support gun control?: Alternative explanations of support for handgun bans." Journal of Criminal Justice 37: 496–504.
Nice details about the two-stage sampling method. What does it mean for a person's stance to stem from the "culture conflict perspective"? Also, can you explain how a bivariate correlation matrix establishes causality?
ReplyDeleteThe culture conflict perspective focuses on the social struggles between the differentiated powers of authority and classes. Powers of authority place measures on what is considered "deviant behavior" or mentality. The result is a value system that is put into place for each level of class in the population. Therefore, the stances on the issue of gun control would be varied based upon the social, economical and political level of each individual. If their stance derived from cultural traits, or shared perceptions for example, then you would not see so much variance in populations who had various outcomes of opinion.
ReplyDeleteGary Kleck and his colleagues decided that the bivariate correlation matrix would be possible to determine causality. They stated that if the reverse causality was strong enough, then the conclusion that "more guns means more crime" whether guns on crime is measured to be "negligible or negative" is accurate. They used a variable that is correlated with guns, an instrument relevance, as well as a variable that was uncorrelated, an instrument validity.