Vested interest and symbolic politics--observations and recommendations: reply To Sears (1997)

In his comment on the author's original article (W. D. Crano, 1997) on vested interest, symbolic politics, and attitude-behavior consistency, D. Sears (1997) concentrated on 3 important features of the original study: the logic of the analytic design, the strength of effects and, more broadly, the possibility that the apparent discontinuity between survey and laboratory findings on self-interest and attitude may reside in respondent characteristics. In response, it is argued that (a) the analytic logic, although at variance with that used in survey studies of symbolic politics, is appropriate, logical, and in conformance with standard practice; (b) the predicted effects reported are both statistically and practically significant; (c) the discontinuity between laboratory and field research may be more apparent than real; but (d) a more intense integration of self-interest and symbolic politics--a suggestion made in the original article--is precisely what is needed.