THE FACILITATION EFFECT OF SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 28, Heft 3, S. 513-516

Abstract

In examining data from a 1960 Iowa election, a strong association was found between county size & the % favoring reapportionment. It is hyp'ed that the soc environment influences this association through diff's in soc awareness. In counties where campaign activity was present, a r of .92 was found, while where activity was absent, the r was .59. Counties having a daily newspaper showed a r of .92, those lacking papers, .56. Therefore it is concluded that living in a larger county predisposes voters to favor reapportionment, but that a favorable soc climate must exist for this predisposition to be fully activated. More generally, it is suggested that when a relationship is found between a predisposing variable & a behavioral one, the researcher should be sensitive to the possible effect of the soc environment in facilitating an increased association in specified areas. AA.