| Abstract: | Analysts use a variety of indicators to assess whether the South remains a distinctive cultural region, and reach different conclusions. This analysis examined the distinctiveness of the South by comparing the attitudes and beliefs of Southerners to those of non-Southerners. A group of characteristics thought to be distinctively Southern was selected and factor analyzed to determine both the number of constructs which underlie the indicators and the degree to which each indicator measures these constructs. They were found to represent four conceptual domains of Southern culture. Logistic regression analyses of these indicators demonstrated that Southerners remain distinctive in their attitudes in a number of areas. Most analyses of trends over time and differences between age groups indicated that neither convergence nor divergence between regions had occurred between 1972 and 1982. The results show, then, that the South remains a distinctive cultural region. |
