Nication Process. Does the Same Situation Occur in Indian Villages Or
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INTRODUCTION 5 OPINION LEADERSHIP IN INDIA 4 opinion leaders, who influence others by discussing the content of the message Thus an analysis of the leadership patternin Indian villages becomes impe- and providing their own judgment of issues to the followers. rative in the understanding of thecommunication of ideas between external In a study of the adoption of a new drug by doctors in four mid-Western systems and the ordinary villager.Studies done in American communities communities in the United States, Coleman, Katz and Menzelfound that haw: pointed out the importance of informalopinion leadership in this commu- opinion leaders were also early adopters.14This was confirmed in other nication process.Does the same situation occur in Indianvillages or arc studies also."The study of the doctors also revealed that opinion leaders opinion leaders identical with formal leaders? These and several other ques- made more use of relevant outside sources of information such asprofessional tions need to be studied carefully and answered sothat the results may make a journals, out-of-town research centres and professional meetings.On the meaningful contribution to a theoreticalunderstanding of the process of change basis of their findings, Coleman, Katz and Menzel suggested that amulti-step and to the practical solution of the problems ofdevelopment in Indian villages. rather than a two-step model of communication is a more realistic description Studies done elsewhere cannot answer ourquestions; but they can help of the communication process. us ask the right ones.One needs a starting point, a conceptualframework to Studies done in India confirm greater mass media use by opinion leaders begin an investigation.If our study of opinion leadership in India comes than by non-leaders."This suggests the validity of the two- or multi-step With respect to social up with resultsdifferent from those observed elsewhere, wewill then have model of communication in the Indian situation also. empirical justification to modify the conceptualframework and bring it in characteristics, however, opinion leaders in Indian villages are markedlydiffe- line with actual reality.This refinement will help future researchers to start rent from their followers.Studies done by Barnabas, Thorat, Rahudkar, with better concepts and better theoreticalmodels." Narang and Singh, among °tiers, clearly indicate that leaders, ascompared with non-leaders, have higher social status, own more land and are more RESEARCH: educated."In a nation-wide survey reported in 1967, Sen and Roy confir- MAIN ISSUES IN OPINION LEADERSHIP and A REVIEW OF PAST STUDIES med these findings and added that leaders were also more innovative cosmopolite, more in contact with extension agents, made more useof mass In the 1940s, a survey was conducted in theUnited States by Lazars- media and were more secularly oriented than non-leaders.' feld, Berelson and Gaudet to studythe voting behaviour of the American Some studies have concentrated on the influence of community norms on public.'They found that the major influence onthe voting behaviour of the the adoption behaviour of the opinion leaders.Homans hypothesized that individual came not from mass media but fromother peoplefriends. relatives leaders remain leaders because they provide rare and valuable services to and fellow workers. An investigationof the people thus named revealed that the followers 19 One of these services is to maintain theintegration of the these opinion leaders were very similarin education, social and economic group by conforming to group norms.In a community where norms resist status, age and othercharacteristics to those they influenced. The onlynotable change, leaders should not only resist new ideas but are expected tobe as con- difference was that these people made more useof the mass media than did the servative, if not more, as their followers. On the other hand, in communities rest. This was the beginning of the "two-stepflow" theory of communication 14 J. S. Coleman, E. Katz, H. Menzel, op. cit. cit, ch. 10. which was further developed by theauthors of this surveyand others 13 15- For a summary of studies on this problem, see E. M. Rogcn, op. 16See, for example, W. B. Rahudkar, " Local Leaders and theAdoption of Farm Prac- According to this theory, mass media messageshave rarely had a direct effect tices", The Nagpur Agricultural College Magazine, 34 : 1-2, 1960. on the listeningand reading public.Instead, the message is mediated by 17-A. P. Barnabas, "Characteristics of Lay Leaders in Extension Work",Journal of the M. S. University of Baroda, 7: 1-21, 1958 ; S. Narang, A Study onthe Identification and Characteristics of Rural Women Leaders in a Selected Village, Delhi : M. S. Thesis,University 11-For an illuminating discussion on thecross-cultural use of concepts particularly of the of Delhi,1966 ; W. B. Rahudkar, op. cit ; Avtar Singh, Rep:stationalMeasure of ones developed byWestern social scientists, see G. Myrdal,The Asian Drama, Leadership : A Study of Two Indian Villages, State College, Mississippi StateUniversity, New York : Pantheon Books, 1968, Vol.1, pp. 16-35. 1964 ; S. S. Thorat, Certain Social Factors Associated with the Adoptionof Recommended Thesis, P. F. Lazarsfeld, B. Berelson and H.Gaudct, op. cit. Agricultural Practices by Rural Local Leaders and Ordinary Farmers in India, Ph.D. "Patterns of Influence : A Study of Interpersonal Michigan State University, 1966. 13See, for example, Robert Merton, Hyderabad: Influence and Communication Behavior in aSocial Community", in P. F. Lazarsfeld IS-Lalit K. Sen, and P. Roy, Awareness of Community Development in Village India, and F. N. Stanton, Communication Research :1948-49, New York : Harper and Bros., National Institute of Community Development, 1967. 1949 ; E. Katz and P. F. Lazarsfeld, op. cit ; J.S. Coleman, E. Katz, H. Menzel, 10. G. C. Homans, Social Behavior : Its Elementary Forms, London :Routicdge and Kcgan Medical Innovation : A Diffusion Study,Bobbs-Merrill, 1966 ;E. Katz, "The Two -Step Paul, 1961, p. 339. Flow of Communication : An up-to-date Report on aHypothesis", Gazette, 10 : 237-250, 1964. DOCUMENT RESUME ED 034 626 RC 003 890 AUTHOP Sen, Lalit K. TTTL17 Opinion Leadership in India, A Study of Interpersonal Communication in Eight Villages. TNS"'TmUTION Michiaan State Univ., East Lansing. Dept. of Communication., National Inst. of Community Development. gyderabad (India). SPONS APENCv Agency for International Development, Washington, D.C. *Rm-DODT NO PR-22 PUP. DATF Mar 69 NOTE 68D. ?DDS PRICE EDRS Price MF-$0.50 HC-$3.50 DESCRIPTOPS *Communication (Thought Transfer), Diffusion, Group Norms, Indians, Individual Characteristics, Informal Leadership, Innovation, *Interpersonal Relationship, *Leadership, Leadership Qualities, Opinions, *Rural Areas, *Socioeconomic Influences, Structural Analysis IDENTIFIERS *India ABSTPACT A part of a larger study on "Diffusion of Innovations in Rural Societies" conducted in Brazil, Nigeria, and India during 1966-1968, this particular study is based an opinion leadership provided by 680 farmers in 8 Indian villages. In these villages, opinion leaders comprise the primary source of basic information and play a very significant role in the day-to-day life of the ordinary villager. Personal characteristics of opinion leaders and nonleaders are compared. Leaders were found to be more progressive and more in contact with the outside world. It was found that opinion leaders have a higher caste status and a higher level of living than nonleaders. In the 8 sample villages, formal leadership and opinion leadership were found to overlap. It was also found that opinion leadership in Indian villages is polymorphic. Leaders in more modern villages were found to be more innovative than leaders in more traditional villages. It is concluded that communication flows vertically from leaders at the top of the village power hierarchy to the lower strata. The importance of opinion leaders as key communicators, particularly where the availability and use of mass media are limited, is revealed in this study. (SW) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OFEDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILYREPRESENT OFFICIALOFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITIOL OR POLICY. OPINION LEADERSHIP IN INDIA .0 A Study of Interpersonal Communication r\J in Eight Villages 4. re\ co cm um' K. SEN li.1 Research Report 22 PROJECT ON THE DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS IN RURAL SOCIETIES Co-operating Institutions : National Institute of Community Development Department of Communication, Michigan State University Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Community Development and Co-operation, Government of India United States Agency for International Development C) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT C:n HYDERABAD-30 00 VD 4::::' CD UN First Published : March, 1969 Technical Editor : V. R. K. PARAMAHAMSA Price :Rs. 4.50 Published by the National Institute of Community Development,Hyderabad-30 and printed by F. Wiesinger, Shakuntala Publishing House, Bombay-52 at the Examiner Press, Fort, Bombay-1 1 PREFACE The research reported in this monograph is partof a larger study entitled "Diffusion of Innovations in Rural Societies"directed by Everett M. Rogers of the department of Communication,Michigan State University, under contract with the UnitedStates Agency for International Development, and has included three ccuntries :Brazil, Nigeria and