Finite disappointment, infinite hope? The association between political orientations and sources of hope

Abstract

Two studies were performed to determine whether political orientations were related to loci-of-hope, which are where one acquires or sustains one's hope that one's goals may be achieved. Study 1 employed a nationally representative sample of Canadian English-speaking adults (N = 866), who completed the Locus-of-Hope Scale (Bernardo, 2010) that measures the extent to which trait hope comes from four different sources: from oneself as an individual; from one's family; from peers; and from one's sense of spirituality or religious faith. The results indicate that the peer locus-of-hope was associated with liberalism, while the spiritual and family loci were related to conservatism. The participants in Study 2 were Canadian university students (N = 555) who completed the Locus-of-Hope Scale as well as a related measure that treats hope as an emotional state rather than a trait. In this sample, there were again significant associations between political orientations and loci-of-hope at the peer and family loci such that greater reliance on peers predicted more liberal orientations, and greater dependence on family was associated with more conservative outlooks. The implications of these findings for three established theoretical paradigms that purport to explain the acquisition of political orientations are explored.