Data Book: Local Civil Defense Directors' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Performance. Minnesota, Georgia, and Massachusetts

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Data Book: Local Civil Defense Directors' Attitudes, Knowledge, and Performance. Minnesota, Georgia, and Massachusetts

G. E. Klonglan / G. M. Beal / J. M. Bohlen / C. L. Mulford

The civil defense organization (national to regional to state to local) is conceptualized as a social system. The local civil defense director is conceptualized as an important link between the civil defense organization and his local civil defense area (city, town, or county). A social systems analysis was selected as an appropriate general frame of reference for studying the question: What are the characteristics (attitudes, opinions, and knowledge) of local civil defense directors. A study of Minnesota, Georgia, and Massachusetts directors provides the empirical data. Data were collected on local directors': (1) understanding of civil defense goals; (2) facilities available to carry out civil defense programs; (3) understanding of the norms of the civil defense organization; (4) understanding of sanctions applicable to local directors; (5) understanding of the director position (status-role); (6) perception of the rank of the local director position; (7) perception of the power (authority) directors have in their position; (8) understanding of relevant technical civil defense information (knowledge); (9) sentiments (attitudes) about civil defense; (10) use of communication channels in understanding their role as a local civil defense director and in informing their publics about civil defense; (11) attempts to develop solidarity and identity in the local civil defense organization (boundary maintenance); (12) attempts at working with groups and individuals in their civil defense area (systemic linkage).