A differential analysis of the perceived social impacts of a world's exposition

Beliefs about the likelihood and desirability of potential social impacts resulting from EXPO 82, political efficacy, attitudes toward EXPO 82, level of knowledge of EXPO 82 specifics and reported EXPO political activity were measured by interviewing a random sample of 335 community residents. Subgroups of respondents were developed and their beliefs about potential positive and negative social impacts were compared using one-way analysis procedures. A path analysis was also performed to examine the effects of SES and alienation on beliefs about potential social impacts, attitudes toward EXPO 82 and political activity related to EXPO 82.

Both the high general political efficacy and the high EXPO political efficacy groups anticipated a greater likelihood of positive impacts and a lesser likelihood of negative impacts, when compared to the low political efficacy respondents. Respondents in the low socioeconomic group expected a lesser likelihood of positive impacts, when compared to the high socioeconomic group, but both groups anticipated a similar level of negative impacts. Respondents were broken into high and low level groups on knowledge of EXPO and EXPO political activity, but no significant differences were found between these high and low groups on their beliefs about potential positive or negative social impacts. The same result was found when the sample was divided into elderly versus nonelderly, and home owners versus renters. Respondents who reported a high quality of life anticipated a greater likelihood of positive impacts, when compared to the low quality of life group, but beliefs about negative impacts were similar. However, the relationship between the perceived likelihood of social impacts and attitudes toward EXPO 82 was stronger for respondents in the high quality of life and high knowledge of EXPO groups, when compared to the low groups, respectively.

The results of the path analysis showed that EXPO political efficacy, importance of information sources, race and attitudes toward EXPO 82 were all related to the perceived likelihood of potential social impacts resulting from EXPO 82. Attitudes toward EXPO 82 were also found to be influenced by the respondents' perceived EXPO political efficacy, race, and beliefs about potential impacts. The path analysis also showed EXPO political activity as being dependent on respondents' knowledge of EXPO, their level of education, as well as their attitudes and perceived political efficacy in regard to EXPO 82.

The results indicated the usefulness of alienation theory and the perspective of community psychology for the study of differential social impacts. Results were also discussed in reference to the literature on differential social impacts. Finally, the relevance of the proposed model for future differential analysis of social impacts was discussed.