Date of Defense

4-16-2024

Date of Graduation

4-2024

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Whitney DeCamp

Second Advisor

Patrick Cundiff

Abstract

The present study investigated the factors influencing support for gun control and attitudes toward gun control restrictions on individuals, specifically violent video games and toys. From the 119 total responses collected, 78 (65.5%) of the participants identified as female, 34 (28.6%) of the participants identified as male, and 7 (5.9%) of the participants identified as nonbinary. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between various independent variables and the dependent variables representing these attitudes. For the dependent variable measuring support for gun control, the model summary revealed a moderate correlation

(r = .610), with approximately 37.2% of the variability explained by the independent variables. The regression model was statistically significant (p = .039), with the variable of hunting being the only statistically significant predictor (p = .005). For attitudes towards gun control restrictions on individuals, the model summary indicated a moderate correlation (r = .461), but the regression model was not statistically significant (p = .622). None of the predictors were significant at the 0.05 level. These findings suggest that attitudes toward gun control may be influenced by factors such as hunting, but further research is needed to fully understand the complexities of individual attitudes toward gun control measures while being sure to implement a larger sample size for greater reliability of the results. If previous literature or emerging evidence suggests that hunting or other variables may have a more substantial impact on the outcome measures under investigation, it could be beneficial to consider adjusting the focus of future research accordingly. The study's examination of attitudes toward gun control and related policies has shed light on the complexities of gun control as a whole. Despite the initial expectations, the findings revealed unexpected aspects of the factors influencing support for gun control and attitudes towards restrictions on individual gun ownership.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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