THE DEVELOPMENT OF VALUES AND BELIEFS IN YOUNG AMERICANS TOWARD FALLOUT SHELTERS AND CIVIL DEFENSE

Abstract

Abstract : What kinds of beliefs and opinions do youngsters in their pre-teen and teenage years have toward fallout shelters and civil defense. 327 eighth and twelfth graders wrote extemporaneous essays on 'What I Know About Fallout Shelters'. Attitudes toward this topic were assessed by trained coders on the basis of their degree of favorability towards fallout shelters in general, private shelters, public shelters and civil defense. Each of the attitudes was related to age, sex, race, social class and personal ability of the youngsters. Generally, youngsters hold favorable attitudes toward both fallout shelters and civil defense, and these expressed attitudes are strongly held. In terms of age, the younger students are more favorable toward both types of shelters and civil defense in general. Sex differences were insignificant; however, boys tended to be somewhat less favorable. Attitudes of white and non-white youngsters were strikingly different with non-white students consistently expressing more favorable attitudes toward both shelters and civil defense. Social class appeared to be unrelated to attitudes expressed on this topic. A third significant correlate of attitudes was personal ability. The more able students withhold support from both shelters and civil defense, while the less able on highly favorable.