Southern Distinctiveness over Time, 1972-2000

Abstract

<jats:p>Scholars have long been interested in the cultural differences between the southern United States and the rest of the nation. In this study we update and extend earlier work in this area by comparing and tracking the responses of southerners and non-southerners to over 75 questions from the 1972-2000 cumulative General Social Surveys. The analyses generate four conclusions. First, the attitudes and behaviors of southerners are more conservative than those of non-southerners in many areas, including race, gender, religion, sex, social capital, and tolerance. Second, the magnitude of these regional differences remains about the same regardless of whether we compare all southerners and non-southerners or just white southerners and non-southerners. This suggests that Southern culture is not just a “white” southern culture as many scholars have argued in the past. Third, the differences between southerners and non-southerners persist, although often to a lesser degree, after controlling for structural variables such as education, income, and urbanity. The implication is that southern distinctiveness is a product of both deep-seeded cultural differences and structural differences between regions. Fourth, there is very little evidence that regional differences have declined over the past quarter century, challenging those who contend that southern culture is in retreat.</jats:p>

Racism, Resentment, and Regionalism: The South and the Nation in the 2008 Presidential Election

“…Southerners range from slightly more conservative than non-southerners (Beck and Lopatto 1982;Cotter and Stovall 1990;Carmines and Stanley 1990) to considerably more conservative (Black and Black 1987;Wright et al 1985) depending on data sources. In some survey years, southerners are found to be more conservative on government spending for the poor, education and health care, but in other survey years, this is not the case (Rice et al 2002). Even though the racial attitudes of southerners have softened since the days of de jure segregation, white southerners tend to be the most conservative on the issues of school integration and affirmative action, and have the most negative attitudes about the civil rights movement and blacks (Schuman et al 2005).…”

“…On one side of this divide are studies comparing the attitudes and opinions of Southerners to non-Southerners (see Cotter et al [2006] for a review of this literature), all of which suggests the new South remains distinctive, although maybe not as distinctive as in the past. This literature finds that southerners are more inclined to support school prayer (Feig 1990) and less inclined to support sex education, abortion rights, and gay rights (Rice et al 2002). Southerners range from slightly more conservative than non-southerners (Beck and Lopatto 1982;Cotter and Stovall 1990;Carmines and Stanley 1990) to considerably more conservative (Black and Black 1987;Wright et al 1985) depending on data sources.…”

Defining Dixie: A State-Level Measure of the Modern Political South

“…During the 1980s and into the early 1990s, racial prejudice also remained higher in the South (Glaser 1996;Kuklinski, Cobb, and Gilens 1997). Finally, Rice, McLean, and Larsen (2002) found that southerners exhibit more conservative attitudes on issues including race, gender, religion, sex, and tolerance from 1972 to 2000.…”

Southern Political Exceptionalism? Presidential Voting in the South and Non-South*

“…Yet another group of scholars use public opinion data to compare the attitudes and opinions of southerners versus nonsoutherners, usually controlling for factors like ideology, income, education, and race (for a review of this literature, see Cotter, Shaffer, and Breaux, 2006). Thus, southerners are more inclined to support school prayer (Feig, 1990) and less inclined to support sex education, abortion rights, and gay rights (Rice, McLean, and Larsen, 2002). Southerners range from slightly more conservative than nonsoutherners (Beck and Lopatto, 1982; Cotter and Stovall, 1990; Carmines and Stanley, 1990) to considerably more conservative (Black and Black, 1987; Wright, Erikson, and McIver, 1985) depending on data sources.…”