Introduction Brigham Young University (BYU) currently accommodates the ninth most conservative student body of all universities recognized by the Princeton Review (2013, 1). Considering that 67-percent of BYU students originate from states (or countries) outside of Utah and that the political socialization of these students has differed, the student body of BYU should be ideologically diverse, rather than conservative (Brigham Young University n.d.b, 1). Information regarding the ideological scale of the Brigham Young University student population is useful because students will have a vague idea to extent of how political bias affects their personal studies. Research Question What is the relationship between Brigham Young University students …show more content…
Due to differences in political socialization, students should maintain different beliefs in non-social aspects of ideology. For example, a student may firmly believe in the government giving aid to families due to an upbringing filled with poverty—a known liberal belief. Thus, diversity is currently masked by a social conservative attitude, and when tested for the correct political ideology, a greater amount of students should be categorized as liberal when compared to the students who pick “their” ideology off a list. Definitions • Ideology: Groups that are categorized by common political beliefs and are coined as liberal, conservative or neither based on how the group “address[es] attitudes about government, business, privacy, foreign policy, the social safety net, individualism, religion, homosexuality, the environment, immigration and race” (Dimock 2014, 16). • Liberal: A group of people who are placed on the left side of the political spectrum and have varying degrees of beliefs except when it comes to helping the needy, and that the use of diplomacy in international relations is more effective than war. For the purpose of this study there are three liberal groups: Solid Liberals, Faith and Family Left, and Next Generations …show more content…
For the purpose of this study there are three conservative groups: Young Outsiders, Business Conservatives, and Steadfast Conservatives. (Dimock 2014, 18-19) Experimental Design The population of Brigham Young University Students was approximately 30,342 students in the year 2013 (Brigham Young University a, 1). Using this population number and the conditions of a five percent margin of error with a 99-percent confidence level, my study will require a sample size of 643 students. Using Excel to randomize, the 321 randomly selected student control group, will be emailed the list of ideologies found in the definitions—which will contain details of each ideology—and be asked to reply back to the sender what ideology the student identifies himself with in the subject