Original scientific paper
Analysis of Relation between Religiosity and Social Consciousness in Subotica Population
Zlatko Šram
; Institute of theological cathechesis in Subotica
Abstract
In this article we tried to find out whether certain dimensions of
religiosity, authoritarianisam, ethnocentrism and political
orientations are in such structural relations within different
sociodemographic groups in a multinational community such as
Subotica is (in Vojvodina, FR Yugoslavia), so that their latent
configurations might serve as a background for various kinds of
political propaganda. Svstematic random sample was formed that
encopmpassed 628 fullaged examenees. Factor analysis yielded the
following latent variables manipulated in further multivariant data
analysis: religious beliefs, religious experience, sacramental life,
christian love toward the neighbour, political authoritarianism and
conformity, authoritarian aggressiveness, authoritarian obedience,
traditional roles between the genders, ethnic closeness, prejudice and
feeling of superiority, ethnic affective attachment and homogenization,
readiness for one's ethnic self-sacrifice, yugoslavnostalgy,
collectivism, militaristic etatism, egalitarianism and workers'
selfmanegnient mentality, and antivvestern orientation. Canonical
discriminant analysis was perforemd in order to measure the impact
of sociodemographics on the latent configurations of variables of
religiosity, authoritarianism, ethnocentrism and political orientations.
The results showed that associations among religiosity, authoritarianism,
ethocentrism and political orientations, supported in many
research reports, are primarily the by-products of the onedimensional
treatment of these sociological and psychosociological
concepts and constructs on one side, and the result of ignoring the
existence of factorial structures that form canonical discriminat
functions derived on the basis of different sociodemografic groups in
a specific political and historical context, on the other side. That is
why the false conclusions are often drawn as to the nature and
intensity of the real latent interrelations among religiosity,
authoritarianism ethnocentrism and political orientations. These
false conclusions generate "scientific" sterotypes and prejudice which
in certain circumstances might have serious consequences in the
realm of political propaganda.
Keywords
religiosity; authoritarianism; ethnocentrism; political orientations; political propaganda
Hrčak ID:
39023
URI
Publication date:
21.12.2001.
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