POLS102: Identity and Politics

Today's Learning Objectives

  • Understanding the concept of a hypothesis.

  • Exploring nationalism and its symbols.

  • Examining original research from student surveys regarding national symbols in New Zealand.

Importance of the Research

  • The research conducted today is original, reflecting student opinions on national symbols in New Zealand.

  • Acknowledges that the sample group is not fully representative of the general New Zealand population, as it primarily comprises young, politically engaged individuals from Canterbury.

  • Sample size is relatively small (60+ individuals out of 5 million).

    • Despite this, the group's interest in politics suggests they may influence future national perspectives.

Understanding a Hypothesis

  • A hypothesis is a concise statement articulating a central argument.

  • Typically formulated as a single sentence.

  • Can have multiple interconnected hypotheses in larger papers.

    • Hypotheses can be set up in contrasting directions for comparison.

Components of a Hypothesis

  1. Variables: The elements being studied or observed.

    • Example: Level of legitimacy and its relation to political stability.

  2. Relationship: How the variables interact or affect one another.

    • Key terms: "determines," "causes," "associated with."

  3. Inductive and Deductive Formulation: Hypotheses can be developed from observations (inductively) or literature (deductively).

Example of Hypothesis Development

  • Good Example: "The level of legitimacy determines the level of political stability."

    • Independent Variable: Level of legitimacy.

    • Dependent Variable: Level of political stability.

  • Exploring the validity of a spurious correlation (e.g., Jim washing his car and it raining).

Education and Democracy Hypothesis

  • General Hypothesis: "Education is associated with democracy."

    • Variables: Level of education and level of democracy.

  • Causation vs. Correlation: It’s often unclear whether education causes democracy or vice versa.

  • Recommendation: Use the term "associated with" unless causation can be clearly established.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative

  • Qualitative: Attributes that are assessed but not easily measured. Examples include political opinions or sentiments.

  • Quantitative: Attributes that can be measured and quantified (e.g., voter turnout rates, education level).

Examples of Hypotheses

  1. "Higher levels of education enhance the likelihood of democratization."

  2. "Education is associated with voter turnout."

    • Both education and voter turnout can be quantitatively measured.

National Symbols in New Zealand

  • Examining symbols associated with nationalism:

    • King: Mixed feelings; average score of 2.46.

    • Map: Favorable feelings; average score of 2.62. Represents national identity and geography.

    • Silver Fern: Positive associations; average score of 2.30. Unique to NZ and connected to Māori culture.

    • Treaty of Waitangi: Strong feelings; average score of 3.13. Seen as foundational for national identity.

    • Mount Cook: Average score of 2.27; symbolizes the natural beauty of NZ.

    • Flag: Average score of 2.79; mixed feelings but serves as a symbol of identity and unity.

Methodology and Findings of the Survey

  • Importance of randomizing question order to avoid bias.

  • Potential influence of survey design on results.

  • Comparison between direct choice of symbols reveals environmental associations.

Reflections on Nationalism's Political Impact

  • Discussion on the manipulation of nationalist symbols and their political significance.

    • Previous flag referendums affected public sentiment about national symbols.

    • The survey suggests that nationalism can be influenced, possibly altering political attitudes.

  • Future discussions will delve deeper into aspects of nationalism and its implications on politics.