Individualism and collectivism in America: The case of gun ownership and attitudes toward gun control

Author: Celinska, K.
Publication: Sociological Perspectives
Topics: Ownership Public Opinion Social Science
Keywords: Attitude Collectivism Individualism
Bibliographic information +

Using data from the 1972-1998 General Social Survey – a national survey of households – the authors examined whether the widespread gun ownership in the United States and prevailing positive attitudes toward gun control represent competing cultural traditions of individualism and collectivism, respectively. They found that these cultural values did explain some gun ownership and predict attitudes toward gun permits; being more individualistic than collectivistic increased the odds of opposing gun permits.