Demographic and Psychographic Antecedents of Community Participation: Applying a Social Marketing Model

Abstract

Community participation has received a great deal of attention in recent work on political and health communication. Reflective of the extent of collective action in a community, community participation has typically been treated as a macro-level variable. Building on recent research that points out the role of trait-level variables in the production of community participation, this article serves two different purposes. First, based on the notion of a web of congruent activities, interests, and opinions, it proposes a series of psychographic variables in the context of their relationship with community participation. Second, it proposes the use of demographic and psychographic variables to strategically target highly engaged individuals and communities as sites for interventions and social marketing strategies to increase the participation in less involved communities.

Social Sides of Health Risks: Stigma and Collective Efficacy

“…A person is more likely to perform preventative behaviors when his or her (trusted) peers, community leaders, and role models endorse or enact these behaviors (Campbell & Jovchelovitch, 2000;Dube & Wilson, 1996;Dutta-Bergman, 2003). For example, members of communities reporting greater collective efficacy felt greater expectations to intercede and to decrease violent activity (Sampson et al, 1997).…”

“…Members of communities with high collective efficacy versus low collective efficacy participate more in their sociocultural environments, secure and access more community resources, develop stronger networks of social support, and feel more personal empowerment (Baum, 1999;Dutta-Bergman, 2003;Rappaport, 1987;Repucci, Woolard, & Fried, 1999). Preventive behaviors have a greater likelihood of success in communities where individual members are highly involved (Dutta-Bergman, 2003).…”

“…Health communication research recognizes the role of communities in explaining social change (Arcury, Austin, Quandt, & Saavedra, 1999;Baum, 1999;Berkman, 1995;Bracht & Tsouros, 1990;Campbell & Jovchelovitch, 2000;Dube & Wilson, 1996;Dutta-Bergman, 2003;Kennedy, 2001;Rappaport, 1987) and positive health outcomes (Dutta-Bergman, 2003). Research shows strong positive correlations between collective efficacy, group goal setting, group achievement, and group performance (Bray, 2004).…”

“…Preventive behaviors have a greater likelihood of success in communities where individual members are highly involved (Dutta-Bergman, 2003). As members participate more in empowered and organized communities, they are more likely to recognize and to mobilize resources to promote positive health outcomes (Dutta-Bergman, 2003;Treno & Holder, 1997).…”

“…The theory of reasoned action (e.g., Ajzen & Fishbein, 1974), the theory of planned behavior (e.g., Dutta-Bergman, 2003), and social cognitive theory (e.g., Bandura, 1977) highlight the impact of group members, social networks, and important others as catalysts of health behavior. A person is more likely to perform preventative behaviors when his or her (trusted) peers, community leaders, and role models endorse or enact these behaviors (Campbell & Jovchelovitch, 2000;Dube & Wilson, 1996;Dutta-Bergman, 2003).…”