The thinking underlying people's positions on complex issues is often of limited scope or complexity, yet changing minds is notoriously difficult. We investigated the thinking underlying people's positions on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Rather than seek to influence their thinking by engaging them in considering alternative…

Over the period 2017-2021 the attitude of the French public and policymakers towards early years education and care changed, resulting in early childhood development (ECD), particularly the affective and social components, increasingly being recognised as a priority, with early childhood education and care (ECEC) services enjoying more government…

The connection between evaluation practice and its ultimate goal--social betterment--is indirect. With little or no direct control over social programs and policies, many evaluators rely on the actions of stakeholders to bridge the gap between evaluation practice and its purpose. Consequently, communicating with influence becomes key. The present…

Social stigma is widely recognized as a major barrier to recovery from mental illness. In Poland, as in other countries, the society perceives mental illnesses as an intimidating problem, while the people affected are often treated with reservation and a sense of distance. One of the first Polish organizations addressing stigmatization and social…

This article describes the findings of a qualitative study on knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and practices towards children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus in four regions of Uganda. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were held with parents of children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, policy-makers, and service…

This article focuses on how public schools have functioned in the ideological production of race in America and their critical role in shaping the way Americans understand specific definitions of race as well as the muted rules of racial etiquette. The author analyzes American schools as racializing institutions, that is institutions with the…

The aim of this research was to investigate the approaches being taken by local authorities (LAs) and partner organisations to improve how young people are perceived, especially in relation to crime and antisocial behaviour. The study also looked at the challenges for and benefits of activities aiming to improve public perceptions of young people,…

On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-gender marriage. From California to Missouri, nearly all states now face legislative challenges to the once firmly entrenched notion that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Public opinion polls conducted from 1977 to 2004 found that Americans' attitudes toward…

Analyzes public attitudes toward welfare spending between 1976 and 1982. Survey data indicated that, although opposition to social welfare spending has lessened, there is a limit to the public's willingness to be taxed for social welfare, particularly when there is a perceived competition between military and welfare spending. (Author/JAC)

The movement toward preservation of historical sites and objects has shifted from professional preservationists to a diverse population of individuals. Allegiance to the past has given way to recreating the past. Historical discovery occurs, for example, through visits to restructured historic sites where activities illustrate notions of how life…

Public attitudes toward blindness are shaped by limited contacts with visually impaired people and unrealistic portrayals of blind people in the media. Proactive efforts including national and local public education programs are needed to change stereotyped thinking, humanize blindness, and lead to greater opportunities for fuller participation in…

From 1908 to 1918, Lewis Hine, educator and photographer, gave new meaning to the camera as an educational tool for social change. Published by the National Child Labor Committee, Hine's photo essays of exploited urban and rural children were intended to instigate reform. This essay with photographs describes Hine's crusade. (SG)

Updates the 1979 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) benchmark survey of entitlement attitudes to which respondents in a national sample felt they were entitled to have 18 items--from crime-free communities to the right to use drugs for pleasure. The new survey reflects a heightened sense of well-being in 1984. (SRT)

Discusses the degree of support for civil liberties shown over the years in U.S. public opinion polls, summarizing the trends in American public opinion on tolerance of some forms of dissent shown in the 1954, 1972, 1973 and 1974 National Opinion Research Center polls, assorted Gallup and Harris polls, and other data sources. (JM)

A 7-month public health information campaign used radio advertising, mass media articles, mailings, and posters to address attitudes and behavioral intentions toward domestic violence in a rural county. The campaign raised public awareness, particularly among men; increased stated intentions to intervene in a neighbor's domestic violence; and…