FROM AWARENESS TO ADVOCACY: UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATION

215 Pages·2011·1.57 MB·English

by  Brooke Weberling

FROM AWARENESS TO ADVOCACY: UNDERSTANDING
COMMUNICATION ABOUT CANCER AND NONPROFIT SUPPORT

Brooke Weberling

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the
School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Chapel Hill
2011

Approved by:
Lois Boynton, Ph.D., Chair
Jane Brown, Ph.D.
Daniel Riffe, Ph.D.
Sarah Dempsey, Ph.D.
Richard Waters, Ph.D.
©2011
Brooke Weberling
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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ABSTRACT
Brooke Weberling
From Awareness to Advocacy:
Understanding Communication about Cancer and Nonprofit Support
(Under the direction of Lois Boynton, Ph.D.)

This dissertation explores public communication about and support for nonprofit
health organizations by studying a specific community fundraising event, Relay For Life,
benefiting the American Cancer Society. Using an online survey of undergraduates at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (N=514), this research has two major
focuses. First, it seeks to explore the concepts of media advocacy and framing as they are
changing with the media environment. Second, it employs two theories, the situational
theory of publics and the theory of reasoned action, to explore communication and
participation behaviors related to the health issue and organization.
Results show which sources are used most frequently for information seeking and
processing about cancer and UNC Relay For Life, and responses reveal salient public
perceptions of these issues. Multiple analyses then show how problem and constraint
recognition, involvement with the health issue, attitudes, and subjective norms influence
information seeking and processing and behavioral intentions, which seem to represent a
continuum of nonprofit support. Suggestions are made for exploring a new working
model combining these variables and a proposed Theory of Situational Support that
might help explain communication and participation behaviors related to nonprofit health
organizations and events or initiatives that require public support. Theoretical,
methodological, and practical implications are discussed.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the
help, support, and encouragement of numerous people to whom I am eternally grateful. I
have said that I could not have asked for a better committee, and I believe this to be true.
My chair, Lois Boynton, has encouraged my research interests since the beginning of this
program and allowed me to wander without getting lost. I owe much of what I have
learned to Daniel Riffe, whom I have had the privilege of knowing and working with
since my master’s program. Jane Brown has provided tremendous mentorship and
support throughout my time at UNC, and Sarah Dempsey and Richard Waters provided
additional insight and valuable advice. I would also like to acknowledge the financial
support from my fellowship, other UNC faculty members, as well as my UNC classmates
and friends (too many to name), from whom I have learned so much.
I want to thank my family, especially my parents, who may not have always
understood my choices yet encouraged me throughout. I hope my parents, my brother,
and my extended family know how much I love them and appreciate their support. I don’t
think I would have made it through this year without Robert McKeever, who has been my
rock, or many friends and loved ones near and far who have listened, provided laughs,
and much-needed distractions during this process. Finally, I am grateful for the people I
have known and experiences I have had in the nonprofit industry, which helped inspire
my research, as well as to the participants who made this dissertation possible.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................................1
Media Advocacy and Health............................................................................................4
Nonprofit Philanthropy and Fundraising.........................................................................7
Nonprofit Communication Online………………………………………………...........9
The American Cancer Society and Relay For Life………………………………........12
Study Scope and Overview…...…………………………………………………….....16
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………...17
The Situational Theory of Publics……………………………………………….17
The Situational Theory of Publics Variables.............................................20
The Situational Theory, Nonprofit, and Political Activism.......................22
The Situational Theory and Health Communication.................................24
The Situational Theory and Online Communication.................................26
The Situational Theory Moving Forward..................................................28
The Theory of Reasoned Action............................................................................29
The Theory of Reasoned Action Variables................................................30
The Theory of Reasoned Action and Health Communication...................32
The Theory of Reasoned Action and Advocacy........................................34
Framing Theory.....................................................................................................36
Framing and Public Relations....................................................................39
Framing Health Issues................................................................................40
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Framing Cancer..........................................................................................42
Moving Framing Forward..........................................................................44
Research Questions and Hypotheses.....................................................................45
CHAPTER 3: METHOD...................................................................................................50
Online Surveys.......................................................................................................51
Questionnaire Design and Administration.............................................................53
Survey Measures....................................................................................................55
The Situational Theory of Publics.............................................................56
The Theory of Reasoned Action................................................................58
Framing Theory.........................................................................................59
Survey Sample.......................................................................................................61
Survey Pre-Test......................................................................................................62
Participants and Response Rate.............................................................................63
Data Collection and Analysis.................................................................................65
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS...................................................................................................67
Research Questions and Hypotheses Results.........................................................71
Results for Quantitative Framing Questions..........................................................74
Results for Qualitative Framing Questions............................................................79
Thoughts on Cancer: Experience; Knowledge & Awareness;
Images & Associations..........................................................................................80
Experience with Cancer.............................................................................81
Knowledge & Awareness about Cancer....................................................84
Images & Associations of/with Cancer......................................................86
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Thoughts on Relay For Life: Mission; Memories; and Outside the Event............88
Relay For Life Mission..............................................................................89
Relay For Life Memories...........................................................................92
Outside the Event.......................................................................................94
Thoughts on the American Cancer Society: Facts; Functions; Feelings...............97
Facts about the American Cancer Society.................................................97
Functions of the American Cancer Society.............................................100
Feelings about the American Cancer Society..........................................103
Summary of Qualitative Findings........................................................................106
Results for Situational Theory of Publics Hypotheses........................................108
Results for Theory of Reasoned Action Hypotheses...........................................114
Results for Final Research Questions..................................................................121
A Closer Look at Information Seeking and Processing
and Behavioral Intentions....................................................................................129
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION...........................................................................................135
Framing and Media Advocacy.............................................................................135
Qualitative Responses..........................................................................................141
Methodological Contributions.............................................................................146
Theoretical Implications and Practical Applications...........................................147
New Working Model and Proposed Theory of Situational Support....................151
Limitations and Future Research.........................................................................155
Conclusions..........................................................................................................158

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APPENDIX A: INTRODUCTORY EMAIL AND ONLINE SURVEY LINK.............160
APPENDIX B: ONLINE CONSENT FORM.................................................................161
APPENDIX C: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE...............................................................162
APPENDIX D: INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD
INITIAL APPROVAL MEMO.......................................................................................182

APPENDIX E: INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD
MODIFICATION APPROVAL MEMO.........................................................................184

APPENDIX F: SCREE PLOT FOR FACTOR ANLYSIS OF
SUBJECTIVE NORMS SURVEY ITEMS.....................................................................185

APPENDIX G: SCREE PLOT FOR FACTOR ANLYSIS OF
INFORMATION SEEKING AND PROCESSING AND
BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS SURVEY ITEMS.........................................................186

REFERENCES................................................................................................................187

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LIST OF TABLES

1. Survey Details: Emails Received, Absorption Rates,
Number of Surveys Started and Completed……...................................................64

2. Descriptive Statistics for Respondents Compared to
UNC Undergraduate Population………………………………………................68

3. Past, Present, and Future Participation in UNC Relay For Life…………………69
4. Membership in Groups, Clubs, and Organizations...........................….................70
5. General Media Use Reported in Estimated Minutes Per Day……………………70
6. Personal Experience and/or Contacts Who Have or Have Had Cancer………….71
7. Sources Used for Information About Cancer…………………………………….72
8. Sources Used for Information About UNC Relay For Life……………………...73
9. Descriptive Statistics for Framing Statements Related to Cancer
and Relay For Life in Order of Descending Means……………………………...77

10. Descriptive Statistics for Situational Theory of Publics Variables:
Problem Recognition; Involvement; Constraint Recognition and
Information Seeking and Processing in Order of Descending
Means per Variable………………………………………………………..........108

11. Correlation Matrix for Problem Recognition……………………………...........109

12. Correlation Matrix for Involvement……………………………………….........110

13. Correlation Matrix for Constraint Recognition…………………………............110

14. Correlation Matrix for Information Seeking and Processing…………...............111

15. Descriptive Statistics and Alphas for Situational Theory of Publics…...............111

16. Correlations for Situational Theory of Publics Independent
and Dependent Variables……………………………………………………….112

17. Summary of Standard Multiple Regression of Situational Theory
Variables Predicting Information Seeking and Processing……………………..113

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18. Descriptive Statistics for Theory of Reasoned Action Variables:
Attitudes; Subjective Norms; and Behavioral Intentions in Order
of Descending Means per Variable………………………………......................115

19. Correlation Matrix for Attitudes…………………………………………..........115

20. Correlation Matrix for Subjective Norms………………………………............116

21. Factor Loadings, Communalities, and Percents of Variance and
Covariance for Factor Analysis on Subjective Norms Items…...........................117

22. Correlation Matrix for Behavioral Intentions……………………………..........118

23. Descriptive Statistics and Alphas for the Theory of Reasoned Action…............118

24. Correlations Among Theory of Reasoned Action Variables…………………...119

25. Summary of Standard Multiple Regression with Attitudes
and Subjective Norms Predicting Behavioral Intentions…………………….....120

26. Correlation Matrix for Situational Theory and TRA Independent
and Dependent Variables…………………………………………………….....122

27. Summary of Standard Multiple Regression of Situational Theory
and TRA Variables Predicting Behavioral Intentions…………………….........124

28. Correlations Among All Independent and Dependent Variables,
Including Demographics………………………………………………………..125

29. Summary of Multiple Hierarchical Regression of All Independent
Variables Predicting Behavioral Intentions…………………………………….128

30. Correlation Matrix for Information Seeking and Processing
and Behavioral Intentions…………………………………………....................130

31. Factor Loadings and Communalities for Factor Analysis on
Information Seeking and Processing and Behavioral Intentions…….................131

32. Types of Support for UNC Relay For Life and the
American Cancer Society……………………………………………………....132

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