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The article reports on a preliminary study of the relative standing, in both schooling and ready knowledge, of groups of liberal and conservative U. S. adults. The article states that the findings of the study provide a new perspective on the "attitudes-enlightenment" problem, and seem to afford some clews as to where certain types of education and information campaigns might make headway and where they might encounter important psychological barriers. The article provides information about the procedures or methods taken for arranging the data for the study. One of the techniques employed in the study was "Contrasted Groups" in which people in the survey who approved or agreed with a criterion attitude question were compared on information and education with people who disapproved or disagreed with the proposition. The result or the findings were summarized in form of tables. The 16 attitude areas were indicated in the first column together with the approximate date or dates when the questions were asked, and with the putatively liberal answers in capital letters. The most obvious conclusion is, apparently, that no consistent superiority obtains for either liberals or conservatives.

The article discusses various aspects related to politico-economic liberal conservatism. It surveys the scientific literature which has accumulated in the restricted area of politico-economic liberalism-conservatism. The typical politico-economic conservative is one who tends to be satisfied with the status quo and opposed to any significant shift to the "left" in the direction of socialism, collectivism, or increasing popular management of productive property. Economic or political liberalism does not necessarily imply religious liberalism. The article finds, among other things, that Liberal college students tend to have higher scholarship and more special aptitudes than do conservative college students. Liberal college students tend to possess more relevant information and to do more reading than do conservative students. Liberal teachers tend to possess more information on current questions. For most college student groups, there appears to be a positive relationship between liberalism and intelligence.

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