The purpose of this study was to examine the trends in public opinion toward the issue of the legalization of the use of marijuana. The research methodology employed in the conduct of this study is described and explained in this chapter.
Both quantitiative and qualitative research were performed in the conduct of this study. The qualitative aspect of the research which performed will focused on the identification of social, political, and economic occurrences which may underlie trend changes in public opinion toward the legalization of marijuana use. To the extent possible, these occurrences were associated with trend changes.
In the quantitative context, trends over time with respect to American public opinion toward the legalization of the use of marijuana were identified and assessed. Data pertaining to public opinion toward legalization of the use of marijuana were collected as responses to a survey question, for which three potential responses were provided. These responses were (1) "should be legalized," (2) "should not be legalized," and (3) "don't know."
Data pertaining to public opinion toward the legalization of marijuana use were collected for nine time points. These time points were (1) 1973, which generally marked the end of the country's active involvement in Southeast Asia wars, (2) 1975, (3) 1976, (4) 1978, (5) 1980, the point just prior to the beginning of the Reagan Era, (6) 1983, (7) 1984, (8) 1986, and (9) 1987, a point near the end of the Reagan Era. These time points permitted an assessment of recent historical trends in public opinion toward the legalization of marijuana use.
The data collected were controlled for (1) respondent gender, (2) respondent ethnic/racial background, and (3) respondent age. These controlling variables facilitated interpretation of identified trends, and the projection of future trend movements.
Population and Sample, andData Collection
This study relied on sec...