ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 provides a methodological analysis of how competing ideals and perceptual differences within the Nigerian polity shape political attitudes that oftentimes work at cross-purposes to undermine a general consensus on critical issues of national policy. The central theme focuses on how ethno-linguistic, ideological, and socioeconomic cleavages enable individuals to construct their own ‘objective’ realities about national events. The consequence has been the loss of social capital and increased policy dissonance in matters of social and political significance. A statistical analysis of the IRB approved survey provides a detailed and complex account of the cultural and geopolitical dynamics that shape political preferences among Nigerians. The chapter ends with an open-ended commentary by the survey respondents/participants on critical national issues.
