TY - JOUR
T1 - The Characteristics of Interpersonal Networks in Disaster Response*
AU - Kenny, Christopher
AU - Weber, Christopher
AU - Bratton, Kathleen
N1 - Funding Information:
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1042786, and the BP/Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative www.gulfresearchinitiative.org.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 by the Southwestern Social Science Association
PY - 2017/6
Y1 - 2017/6
N2 - It is well established that discussion networks have meaningful consequences for a variety of sociopolitical attitudes and behavior. In this project, we explore how social structure shapes reactions to disaster; in particular, the 2010 BP oil spill. We address the questions of how networks are relied upon following community-wide disaster, and to what extent these networks mirror social structures in other domains. To examine these questions, we analyze data that experimentally vary the commonly employed discussion “name-generator” questions to see if oil spill discussants are fundamentally different from important matters discussants. Relative to “important matters” discussants, we find strong support for a specialist model in response to disaster; oil spill discussants tend to be less intimate, more knowledgeable, more active, and more talkative about the oil spill. Ultimately, this suggests a contextual basis for the formation of and reliance on discussion networks.
AB - It is well established that discussion networks have meaningful consequences for a variety of sociopolitical attitudes and behavior. In this project, we explore how social structure shapes reactions to disaster; in particular, the 2010 BP oil spill. We address the questions of how networks are relied upon following community-wide disaster, and to what extent these networks mirror social structures in other domains. To examine these questions, we analyze data that experimentally vary the commonly employed discussion “name-generator” questions to see if oil spill discussants are fundamentally different from important matters discussants. Relative to “important matters” discussants, we find strong support for a specialist model in response to disaster; oil spill discussants tend to be less intimate, more knowledgeable, more active, and more talkative about the oil spill. Ultimately, this suggests a contextual basis for the formation of and reliance on discussion networks.
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U2 - 10.1111/ssqu.12328
DO - 10.1111/ssqu.12328
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84988835536
SN - 0038-4941
VL - 98
SP - 566
EP - 583
JO - Social Science Quarterly
JF - Social Science Quarterly
IS - 2
ER -