Ideological labels influence political behavior even among people who misunderstand their concepts.

Evidence

Generally, these researchers have concluded that, although many members of the public may lack a complete understanding of such ideological terms as traditionally conceptualized, these labels and related self-identifications nonetheless have considerable impact on political perceptions and behavior. Thus, these studies have succeeded in establishing the political significance of ideological labels and identifications. At the same time, however, they have left in doubt the dynamics of the process underlying the influence of such identifications. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 1985

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Converse’s ‘nature of belief systems in mass publics’ thesis and the general finding that voters hold weakly constrained ideologies. — connects to: A state-assigned label can misfire and become a political rallying slogan — Manuel Borutta and Jan C. Jansen, Vertriebene and Pieds-Noirs in Postwar…, 55