(Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society of Political Psychology, 2025-10-22) Clarke EJR; Eckerle F; Kerr JR; Hill SR; Ling M; Marques MD; Williams MN
The midpoint of the left-right self-placement item is hiding important political diversity, and may be conflating moderate responders with populists and other political sub-groups. Survey researchers should consider this problem when examining relationships between political orientation and political attitudes. We suggest testing for non-linearity in these relationships, and measuring anti-establishment and populist beliefs separately. Researchers interested in building theories explaining the psychological underpinnings of ideological extremism should also consider the possibility that a qualitatively different type of ideological extremist self-places on the midpoint.
