Attitudes to,and habits of,gambling in Britain

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between demographic (e.g. age, sex) psychological belief (e.g. alienation, conservatism) and attitudes towards, and habits of, gambling. Over 250 people from a variety of backgrounds completed a number of standardized questionnaires. A factor analysis of the Attitude to Gambling scale revealed five clearly interpretable factors which were computed into subscale scores and related to the independent variables. A canonical correlation showed that age and alienation were most closely related to gambling attitudes. Analysis of the Gambling Habits scale showed that sex, age and education best discriminated the Ss' habits of gambling. A correlational analysis between attitudes and habits yielded some interesting and predictable findings. The results are discussed in terms of the previous literature in the field.