Effect of Communicator-Communicatee Similarity in Political Affiliation upon Petition Signing Compliance

Summary

Two hundred undergraduates' compliance in signing a petition calling for the removal of President Nixon from office was studied as a function of the political sponsorship of the petition and subjects' own political affiliation. It was predicted that Republicans who had voted for Nixon in 1972 would be less likely to sign an impeachment petition when it was sponsored by Democrats than when sponsored by Republicans. Results confirmed this hypothesis (p < .05) and were interpreted as supporting Festinger's social comparison theory.