Citation

Tuch SA. Soc. Sci. Res. 1984; 13(1): 55-71.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1984, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0049-089X(84)90004-8

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A particular kind of latent class model is used to characterize the unobservable variable measured by six discrete indicators of racial stance in 1972 and 1977. Methods recently introduced by C. C. Clogg and L. A. Goodman (unpublished manuscript, Pennsylvania State University, 1982, 1983) for the simultaneous latent structure analysis of two multidimensional contingency tables are employed in across-year homogeneity tests on the latent class proportions. Trends in multivariate response patterns over the 5-year interval are then examined by cross-classifying the predicted latent variable with selected demographic characteristics of respondents in each year. The results indicate that (1) no significant changes in the distribution of the latent variable occurred over the 5-year time period, and (2) the status of certain demographic variables as predictors of racial stance fluctuated between the two survey years.