Personal Influence IN THE Diffusion OF Fertility Control: THE Role Played BY Ideas VS. Behavior

A woman faced with choices regarding contraception has several sources of information which may influence her decision. Among these are other women"s ideas as well as their reported behavior. Applying a two-stage econometric model to data on married women taken from a study of Korean social networks, this paper assesses the relative impacts of the two information sources above. In addition, this paper (1) considers the role of social and opinion leadership in the impact of a family planning program by postulating two different social influence factors, (2) explores which types of social network contacts most significantly amplify the impact of the family planning program, and (3) discusses the effects of two types of family planning program efforts: the inputs of family planning field workers, and the use of indigenous women"s groups.ope