The use VAA-generated data to identify ideological dimensions: the case of ecuador

Political scientists often talk about “ideological dimensions” that aggregate related policy issues into a single latent construct. The most widely-cited example of an ideological dimension is that of Left versus Right. In this paper I show how individual issues may be aggregated into two distinct dimensions in Ecuador by drawing from opinion data derived from the “Ecuador Vota” Voting Advice Application launched shortly before the February 2013 elections in Ecuador. I go on to map the positions of party supporters with respect to the dimensions I identify. Unlike many other studies of dimensionality, the dimensions are not defined a priori, but are generated inductively from the opinion data using a combination of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Mokken Scale Analysis. The results suggest that while a broad Left-Right dimension is the principal characteristic that distinguishes supporters of the Ecuadorian government from its opponents, a second cultural dimension also exists and is based around the principles of secularism versus religiosity. While this dimension covaries with the Left-Right dimension, it must still be considered as conceptually separate.