Discussant Effects on Vote Choice: Intimacy, Structure, and Interdependence

Abstract

Political discussion during an election campaign is an important vehicle of social influence--a means whereby the preferences of individuals are brought into correspondence with political surroundings. Correspondingly, the study of discussion effects is not simply an examination of dyadic information flows. Rather, it is one part of a more thorough explication of the political linkages that lie between individuals and groups within the society, and of the manner in which individual politics is imbedded within the larger community. This paper addresses a series of questions related to the influence of political discussion. To what extent are political preferences affected by discussion? What types of discussant relationships are most likely to foster political influence? What types of discussants are most influential? These questions are addressed on the basis of an election study conducted in South Bend, Indiana during the 1984 presidential election.