Correlates of Young Americans' Beliefs and Knowledge About Civil Defense

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Correlates of Young Americans' Beliefs and Knowledge About Civil Defense

B. S. Greenberg / J. R. Dominick

This study examined certain communication behaviors and attitudinal behaviors of teen-agers and their conceptions of civil defense and fallout shelters. Three aspects of communication activity were examined--number of sources for civil defense information, communicated interest in civil defense and knowledge about civil defense. Two of the above behaviors--using many sources of CD information and much communicated interest in CD--were highly intercorrelated. Both were also associated with more mass media use, frequent family interaction, and more school CD activities. They were also associated with positive attitudes toward CD. Knowledge about CD could not be well explained by the variables in the present study. With regard to the teen-agers' attitudes toward civil defense and fallout shelters, the two critical attitudinal areas were the individual's general evaluation of shelters and the attitudes he perceived his parents to have. Each of three specific aspects of shelter attitudes--protection, conditions inside, and costs--was strongly inter-related with both the teen-ager's own evaluation and his perception of his parent's attitudes. (Author)