Do Individual Differences Predict Attitudes Towards Recreational Cannabis Legalisation and are these Relationships Mediated by Political Ideology?

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dc.contributor.authorKane, Drewe
dc.contributor.schoolSchool of Psychology
dc.date.issued2018
dc.descriptionThis item is only available electronically.en
dc.description.abstractWe investigate the psychological predictors of support or opposition to recreational cannabis legalisation (RCL), of which little is known. However, support for RCL co-varies with liberalism while opposition co-varies with conservatism. Furthermore, Openness of the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality and cognitive ability are known to predict liberalism, while Conscientiousness predicts conservatism. We hypothesise that cognitive ability and personality will predict attitudes towards RCL and this relationship will be mediated by Political Ideology. Using an online survey, we measured personality, cognitive ability, Political Ideology, and presented participants with social and economic consequences of prohibition and legalisation models before asking them to endorse their preference. Undertaking mediation analysis, we find that Political Ideology mediates the relationship between Openness, cognitive ability, Agreeableness, and endorsement of RCL. Although Conscientiousness was associated with a lower probability of endorsing RCL, this relationship was not mediated by Political Ideology. Nearly three quarters of participants endorsed RCL, while Past Use of cannabis was the second strongest predictor of endorsement of RCL after liberal Political Ideology. Political Ideology partially accounts for the relationship between individual differences and endorsement of RCL. We speculate that widespread use of cannabis, the further normalisation of use through RCL in other countries, and the wider recognition of the social and economic benefits could lead to RCL becoming a bigger issue in Australia.en
dc.description.dissertationThesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2018
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/129135
dc.provenanceThis electronic version is made publicly available by the University of Adelaide in accordance with its open access policy for student theses. Copyright in this thesis remains with the author. This thesis may incorporate third party material which has been used by the author pursuant to Fair Dealing exceptions. If you are the author of this thesis and do not wish it to be made publicly available, or you are the owner of any included third party copyright material you wish to be removed from this electronic version, please complete the take down form located at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/legals
dc.subjectHonours; Psychologyen
dc.titleDo Individual Differences Predict Attitudes Towards Recreational Cannabis Legalisation and are these Relationships Mediated by Political Ideology?en
dc.typeThesisen

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