There is a wide variety of attitudinal indicators—indicators of attitudes towards multiple political objects—that we categorize based on the four types of political objects defined by Almond and Verba. In Spain, in fact, many CIS indicators possess elements of political culture.
There is a wide variety of attitudinal indicators grouped around political objects:
ATTITUDINAL INDICATORS REFERRING TO THE GENERAL ATTRIBUTES OF THE SYSTEM
- ORIENTATIONS TOWARDS THE REGIME: for any political system, and especially for democracy, the acceptance and diffuse support by the population are fundamental. This was one of the main elements of Almond and Verba's study; from Easton's systemic point of view, legitimacy can be understood as diffuse support for the system that favors its long-term continuity, as a reserve of trust for periods when support is lower.
Example: Attitudes of Spaniards towards the system in the transition process from authoritarianism to democracy in Spain. Also, the economic crisis or political disaffection itself is overcome with that reserve of confidence. Likewise, from the 1960s onwards, a tendency towards the democratic system began, which would be accentuated in 1976.
- ORIENTATIONS TOWARDS THE POLITICAL COMMUNITY: the political system is sustained by a political community, the set of members that compose it. The identification of individuals with this community is fundamental for the stability of the system, as it acts as a reserve of diffuse support. A positive orientation towards the political community integrates individuals, that is, it builds a foundation for the stability of the system. However, de-identification with the political community undermines the political system itself, the very legitimacy of the system.
These guidelines are of paramount importance in states with a multi-ethnic composition or with diverse national identities, as groups may end up questioning the territorial and population delimitation of the system.
An example is the study of feelings of belonging and nationalisms (such as subjective national identification - e.g., whether you consider yourself more Spanish or Catalan).For example, we Europeans don't have that degree of community orientation, as they do in the US. Europeans don't all believe themselves to be alike or equal (a Spaniard believes himself to be different from a German). All of this has to do with political orientations
- INTERPERSONAL TRUST: the need for interpersonal trust among system members, denoting the level of community cohesion and the conviction that, in general, the norms of said community are followed.
ATTITUDINAL INDICATORS REFERRING TO THE "SELF"
They are orientations related to one's own role in politics, that is, the propensity to participate in political life is measured
- SUBJECTIVE POLITICAL INTEREST: how the interviewee relates to politics in general. This is a scale on which each interviewee self-assesses their interest in politics. In Spain, the degree of interest in politics is very low.
- SUBJECTIVE POLITICAL EFFICACY: this is the individual's perception of their ability to understand and influence politics. It is related to the willingness to participate in politics. A distinction is made between:
- INTERNAL EFFICACY: captures the essence of an individual having means at their disposal to influence politics.
CIS poll on internal efficacy: “Does politics seem so complicated that people like you cannot understand what is going on?” The indicator of not understanding politics is related (is characteristic) of a subject culture. The more the population agrees with this statement, the more we will be related to a subject culture (not understanding politics), which will lead us to a situation of instability. With education, with the media, with access to information, politics will be better understood, something characteristic of post-industrial societies.
- EXTERNAL EFFICACY: reflects the perception that authorities or the system are sensitive to our demands. The CIS question on external efficacy is: "Do you believe that politicians primarily seek their own personal interest?".
