Influence & the Influenced

How are voters influenced in an election campaign? To find out, California Publicist Stephen L. Wells, who was Truman's manager in Southern California in 1948, put a 22-man team from the University of Southern California to work interviewing a cross section of voters in California's 17th Congressional District. Last week Wells announced the results. Of the 800 interviewed, 47% of the voters said they were most influenced by news stories, reports of candidates' speeches, and ads in newspapers; 31% gave radio news, speeches and paid political programs the top rating; 22% were most influenced by TV. No one admitted being influenced to any great extent by billboards, direct mail or word-of-mouth publicity.

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