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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Dr. Hans Zeisel from McCann-Erickson supervised the production of the charts. He was ably assisted by Ann Hurdman.
Practically every staff member of Columbia University's Office of Radio Research, which is now a Division of its Bureau of Applied Social Research, has at one time or another worked on this study, especially Miss Wyant and Messrs. Farber, Fos-berg and Hennig. At several points we had the cooperation of Professor Douglas Waples, Mr. Jesse McKnight, Mr. Alfred Jones, Mr. Fritz Schreir, and Professors Michael Erdelyi, Robert Merton and Goodwin Watson.
The senior author is especially indebted to his colleagues in the Department of Sociology, Columbia University.
paul lazarsfeld bernard berelson hazel gaudet
Bureau of Applied Social Research Columbia University Summer, 1944
Contents
I. Introduction i
A New Research Method, H. A Guide for the Reader, 8
II. Erie County, Ohio, 1940 10
The Economy of the County, 12; The County and Politics, 13; The Setting of the Study, 13
III. Social Differences between Republicans and
Democrats 16
The Role of Socio-Economic Status, 17; Religious Affiliation and Age, 21; An Index of Political Predisposition, 25
IV. Ideological Differences between Republicans and
Democrats 28
Economic and Social Attitudes, 28; Political "Extroversion," 32; The War in Europe, 35; Partisanship and Party Argumentation, 37
V. Participation in the Election 40
Who Are the Interested People?, 42; Least Participation in the Campaign—the Non-Voter, 45; Most Participation in the Campaign—the Opinion Leaders, 49
VI. Time of Final Decision 52
Interest and Time of Decision, 53; Cross-Pressures and Time of Decision, 56; The Effect of Cross-Pressures, 60; Interest and Cross-Pressures, 61
VII. The Types of Changes 65
Time of Final Decision and the Changers, 66; Interest, Cross-Pressures, and the Changers, 67; The Personality Traits of the Changers, 69; The Mutability of the Changers, 70; The Story of the Changers, 71