Trade union membership, working class self-identification and support for the New Democratic Party
Date
1981
Authors
Burns, Janet M. C. (Janet Mary Christine)
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Abstract
This study begins with a detailed review of the literature on the relationship between trade union membership, working class self-identification and support for the New Democratic Party. This is followed by an empirical study of the relations among these variables. The study is based on data provided by the Clarke, et al., survey of the 1974 national election. There is one dependent variable, New Democratic Party voting; three independent variables: trade union membership, working class self-identification, and an interaction term; and, seven control variables: education, family income, religion, ethnicity, region, age, and gender. Correlational analysis is utilized because it allows for an assessment of the relative strength of the variables. The analysis will afford information that will supplement that provided by earlier studies on the topic.
The results indicate that there is a weak but significant relationship between trade union membership and New Democratic Party voting; that there is no statistically significant relationship between working class self-identification and New Democratic Party voting; and, finally, that the interaction effect of trade union membership and working class self-identification is not significantly related to New Democratic Party voting.