What\u27s Group Got To Do With It?: Debate, Group Discussion, and Voting Behavior: The 2004 Presidential Race

A primary goal of this study was to confirm the effect that presidential debate have on viewers as well as to discover how group discussion has the potential to affect voters after viewing the debate. Debates do have the ability to influence voter\u27s intent to vote as well as their acquisition of knowledge. The study also revealed that group discussion following the debates has an impact on viewers. Through the use of quantitative methods surveys were distributed to Debate Watch 2004 participants inquiring about their voting behavior. An analysis of the responses yielded positive results as to the effects that debates have on viewers. One-way analysis of variance as well as chi-square showed significant relationships between each variable tested

Information, pleasure, and persuasion : how motivations function in talking politics

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on September 17, 2010).The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Dissertation advisor: Dr. Mitchell S. McKinney and Dr. Jennifer S. Aubrey.Vita.Ph. D. University of Missouri--Columbia 2009.Scholars have long debated the role that communication plays in the formation and functioning of a democratic system. Philosopher John Dewey (1927) suggested that citizen-to-citizen talk serves as the very foundation of democratic life. The sharing of one's opinions and discussion of politics with acquaintances, family, and friends builds the communities that allow the achievement of democratic society. Interestingly, however, while citizen-to-citizen interaction has been theorized and described as the very underpinnings of a vibrant participatory democracy, little empirical research has focused on this most basic communicative act of civic engagement. Employing a longitudinal design with data collected at three time points throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, this study provided empirical evidence to support Dewey's normative theory of democracy. From this research we discovered some of what motivates people to engage in political talk, as well as specific elements that contributed to changes in young citizens' political talk behavior throughout the course of the campaign season. Additionally, this study confirmed that both political talk, and one's motivation to talk politics with others, do indeed contribute to our democratic process.Includes bibliographical reference