A National Study Predicting Licensed Social Workers' Levels of Political Participation: The Role of Resources, Psychological Engagement, and Recruitment Networks

Autor/in	Ritter, Jessica A.
Titel	A National Study Predicting Licensed Social Workers' Levels of Political Participation: The Role of Resources, Psychological Engagement, and Recruitment Networks
Quelle	In: Social Work, 53 (2008) 4, S.347-357 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0037-8046
Schlagwörter	Telephone Surveys; Psychological Characteristics; Social Networks; Recruitment; Social Work; Participation; Political Issues; Politics; Volunteers; Predictor Variables; Professional Associations; Resources + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Telephone interview; Telefoninterview; Social network; Soziales Netzwerk; Recruiting; Rekrutierung; Soziale Arbeit; Teilnahme; Politischer Faktor; Politik; Freiwilliger; Prädiktor; Betriebsmittel; Hilfsmittel
Abstract	The social work literature is replete with studies evaluating social workers' direct practice interventions, but strikingly few have assessed how well social workers are faring in the political arena. This study tests a major theoretical model, the civic voluntarism model, developed to explain why some citizens become involved in politics, whereas others do not. The study sample consisted of 396 randomly selected social workers licensed in 11 states, all of whom completed a 25-minute telephone survey. Social workers were surveyed to determine the role of the following variables in explaining social workers' political activity levels--resources needed to participate, psychological engagement, and attachment to recruitment networks. The results indicate that the civic voluntarism model was significant and accounted for 42 percent of the variance. The strongest predictors of social workers' political activity were NASW membership and political interest. This study provides empirical support for the idea that being connected to social networks and having a psychological engagement with politics are crucial factors in explaining social workers' political participation. Implications for social work education are included. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	National Association of Social Workers (NASW). 750 First Street NE Suite 700, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-227-3590; e-mail: press@naswdc.org; Web site: http://www.naswpress.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10