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Considerable research has been conducted in the field of diffuse support for political systems, but diffuse support has not been simple to operationalize. The most widely used variables for this purpose have been political trust, which has been criticized as merely a measure of support for incumbents, & political efficacy, which has not been validated. Data from a panel study involving 1,320 respondents interviewed at 2-year intervals from 1972 to 1976 are used to assess the value of this measure. Results indicate that political efficacy, as a subjective attitude, is not closely linked to evaluations of incumbents, at least in the short run. 3 Tables. W. H. Stoddard.

This article tests the agenda-setting hypothesis with regard to national television news in 1974 and 1976. The results indicate a modest degree of overlap between news coverage and viewer perceptions of issue salience. Diachronic correlations, however, suggest that the causal direction of the relationship is unclear. Contrary to the hypothesis, the agenda- setting relationship is not increased among frequent viewers of television news. Exami nation of the salience rankings of each network's audience also fails to support the hy pothesis. Finally, the agenda-setting relationship is found to be totally unaffected by a battery of control variables including media usage, partisanship, politicization, and atti tudes toward the media. In concluding it is suggested that the overlap between issue sa lience and news coverage reflects the sensitivity of both variables to "real world" cues. It is recommended that longitudinal research be utilized to permit examination of issue sa lience as a function of both media content and individual-level variables.

High school students (number of cases = 863) in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh were surveyed to assess their level of political knowledge. Using an index of political knowledge which ranges from 0 to 10, the sample mean was 5.5. The strongest predictor of political knowledge was education, followed by partisan affiliation, media exposure, & interaction with peers. Separate analyses of village & city students revealed that the latter are affected by a wider network of communication. 2 Tables. AA.

A panel survey of high school students in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh, conducted from June to Oct 1973 & June to Aug 1975, including 372 students from 6 districts, provides data for the measurement of the stability of partisan loyalty. It is found that party identification remains relatively stable over a two-year period. The largest component of change is development from nonpartisan to partisan. Knowledge of parental partisanship is the most stable predictor of partisan stability. 5 Tables. Modified HA.