The general factor in the conservatism scale: A multinational multicultural examination

The focus of this study was an examination of a general factor of Conservatism identified in the Wilson-Patterson Conservatism Scale. A group of 23 items related to this factor, has previously been identified using the responses of five independent English speaking subject groups all of which have strong cultural associations with the Judeo-Christian religious tradition which appears to provide its core. The suggestion examined, was that the further a group lies, culturally and linguistically, from such English speaking groups, the fewer of the 23 core items identified, that would remain significantly associated with the general factor. First principal components loadings derived from the responses of two South African groups, two Israeli groups and a Japanese group were compared. Expectations based on the relationship of the responses of these groups to those of the previously described subjects were clearly supported. An English speaking South African group showed significant loadings on the highest number of items, followed by Afrikaans speakers, Jewish Israelis, and finally Arab Israelis and Japanese.