Suchergebnisse

This study seeks to describe the different social influence sources and processes that affect people's attitudes and behaviors regarding the use of modern methods of family planning and the realization of fertility desires. Through qualitative in-depth interviews and focused group discussions, we found that age, marital status, urban residence and gender are some of the factors that determine the source and direction of social influence. Women's social networks are generally supportive of modern method use, but their partners are not. Their sources of influence include mothers, sisters and other female members of the extended family. Men's social networks on the other hand, which consist of brothers and groups of friends, are a venue for the spread of myths and fallacies about condoms and hormonal contraceptives. Community norms about the inappropriateness of premarital sex and of not marrying a woman that one gets pregnant are learned through parents primarily. Implications on interventions campaign planning are discussed.

While many research studies on political knowledge investigate how motivation can influence learning, the theoretical process of influence is yet to be mapped out. There are identifiable gaps in the existing literature, such as the conceptualization of motives, relationships between different motives, and their impacts on news seeking and learning outcomes. The author describes a process of learning comprised of distinct steps from exposure to knowledge, with each step viewed as a behavioral decision determined by the individual-level factors opportunity, ability, and motivation. Findings in the literature on knowledge gaps, uses and gratifications, and the information processing approach to learning are all brought to bear in developing an organized theory of motivational effects. A model that traces the influence of motivations on each step of the learning process is proposed. Such a model allows for a systematic examination of the many direct and indirect effects that motivations have on learning of political information from the news. Implications for Philippine communication research in the area of political learning from the news are discussed.

Interpersonal influence through communication is a complex process that bears important implications on attitudes, preferences, and behaviors. This study examines the role of interpersonal communication about family planning (FP) and sexuality on decisions to use contraceptives. Secondary analysis of data from nationally-representative sample surveys shows that among women non-users, discussions of FP with partner and relatives significantly predict intention to use contraceptives. However, for both men and women users, only discussing with partner about FP significantly predicts preference for modern contraceptive methods over non-modern ones. Although very few young men and women discuss sex at home, bivariate analyses show that among the married sample, discussing sex with others has a significant relationship with contraceptive use. Implications and recommendations for family planning campaigns and intervention programs are discussed.

It is common in the Philippines for celebrities in entertainment, news, and sports to run for public office and win, even with little experience in political life and limited education. The preponderance of celebrities in politics is often identif ied in the public discourse as a problem with important implications on national policy. This paper examines empirical correlates of voter preference for celebrity Presidential candidates with data from a nationally-representative survey. It finds support for the hypotheses that the likelihood of voting for celebrity candidates for President and Vice President is associated with education, television exposure, and residence in the capital city. The findings are discussed in the context of political knowledge and its role in shaping voter preferences. Keywords: Television, celebrity politics, entertainment politics, vote choice, voter preference

Using automated semantic network analysis, this study examines media framing of the population issue in the Philippines through the different labels used to refer to it in public discourse. The population issue has been relabeled and repackaged in legislation and other policy documents. This article examines how each relabeling of the issue was reflected in the media. Analysis of news articles published from 1987 to 2007 reveals that word clusters around each label reflect strategic framing of the terms population control, population management, family planning, reproductive health, responsible parenthood, and pro-life. Whereas population control and population management are associated with developmental and economic goals, reproductive health and family planning are more linked with women's and youth's health issues. The terms responsible parenthood and pro-life are mostly identified with the Catholic Church, with the latter more identified with positions on abortion and contraception.