Political activities of professional social workers residing in Portland, Oregon

Abstract

In order to assess political activity levels of Portland social workers, thirty Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) social workers were interviewed according to a structured questionnaire. The members of the sample were selected from National Association of Social Workers, Oregon Chapter membership and from selected public social service agencies. The results showed, in comparison to previous research findings of Lester Milbrath and Julian Woodward, that Portland social workers are more politically active and knowledgeable than hypothesized. Portland social workers were found to be largely Democrats. The most politically active social workers were found to be those who are employed in private social service agencies, those at agencies employing fifteen people or fewer, those who received their M.S.W. degree prior to 1975, and those age thirty or older. With regard to attitudes, Portland social workers tend to prefer low visibility political tactics and view the political system as being related to client needs or agency functioning only in respect to funding and the provision of services.