Message and context: A study of political information use in the 1993 Canadian federal election.

This thesis examined where a small group of voters obtained their political information during the 1993 Canadian federal election. It adapted a new qualitative method for use in a longitudinal study, using non-leading interviewing techniques and barometer opinion forms to capture how collaborators perceived the election campaign on a weekly basis. A wrap-up interview was also conducted to allow collaborators to reflect back on the campaign. Media sources--especially television--were mentioned most often by collaborators. Interpersonal sources of information were mentioned less often, but were treated in a different manner by members of the study group. Television information was mentioned briefly, and when collaborators did go into detail, they spoke in terms of the appearance and mannerisms of the candidates. If the collaborators had a direct encounter with one of the local candidates, however, it usually had a very powerful impact. Finally, collaborators attributed changes in their feelings over the campaign to media information when they talked about national figures and parties, but used interpersonal sources when they talked about candidates in their riding.Dept. of Communication Studies. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1994 .G54. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 33-04, page: 1030. Adviser: Richard Lewis. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1994