Ambiguity in the Issue Positions of Presidential Candidates: A Causal Analysis

This study investigated the causes of ambiguity in the issue positions of presidential candidates from 1968 to 1980. Three potential causes suggested by the research of Shepsle (1972) and Page (1976, 1978) were examined: issue salience, opinion dispersion, and issue proximity. Salience was found not to have a direct effect on ambiguity, but a slight, negative indirect effect. Opinion dispersion had a significant positive effect, and proximity had about an equally strong negative direct effect on ambiguity.