ATTITUDES TO POLITICAL PARTIES 47
This Likert type4 attitude scale consisted of 30 items with three alternatives relating to policies and programmes centred around some important national issues.
The data were analysed for each group of respondents for different political parties. Mean attitude scores were calculated for each categories in table I and the significance of their differences was tested by CR (Critical Ratio) test in tables II and IV. The results as shown in table I were then analysed from two angles, the respondents and the parties.
RESPONDENT-WISE ANALYSIS Students
Students have secured the highest mean scores for Jansangh and the lowest for Congress (R). It is revealed that among students the policies and programmes of Jansangh are more
Teachers
The trend of scores of teachers is identical to that of their students. They have also expressed the highest preference for Jansangh. The least preferred parties are Congress (0) and Congress (R) where the attitude scores are not found significantly different. Teachers and taught both seem to be similar in their political afliliation. The hierarchy of scores for different parties is in the following order (Table III): (i) Jansangh, (ii) SSP, (iiij CPI (M), (iv) CPI, (v) Congress (R), and (vi) Congress (0). Only 9 comparisons (60 per cent) are found significant (all at more than .01 level) which indicate that for nearly 40 per cent of the comparisons, preferences are the same.
Businessmen
Businessmen differ significantly in their scores for different parties in 12 comparisons (80 per cent) out of the total 15 made for this group (Table II). There is no significant difference between Congress (0) and Congress (R), Congress (R) and CPI (M), and SSP and Congress (0;. If the scores are ranked in a descending order the following hierarchy emerges: (i) Jansangh, (ii) Congress (R), (iii) Congress (0), (iv) SSP, (v) CPI and (vi) GPI(M). This segment of people is quite different from the other two—students and teachers. Only for the Jansangh have they all given first place but their scores differ significantly which indicate that there is fluctuation in their preferences. Thus in the business community, Jansangh is the most popular political, party and GPI (M) the least.