Demographic and Attitudinal Factors Associated with Perceptions of Social Work

Demographic and attitudinal correlates of perceptions of socia work practice were examined among rural and urban residents. Data c tained from 301 persons indicated that attitudes toward public assi tance and knowledge about social work had independent effects on per tions of social work practice. Sex and education also explained a s nificant amount of the variance in attitudes toward social work witF women and persons with more education having more positive attitudes One-third of the respondents had personal experience with social wor however, when other variables were considered, previous association a social worker had no impact on attitudes. Dimensions of religiosi previously found to be related to attitudes toward social action, we not associated with attitudes toward more traditional social work pr tice. Future research should focus on links between attitudes towar social work and subsequent utilization of social services. The purpose of this paper is to examine personal and attitudina correlates of perceptions of social work practice among rural and ur ban residents. In commenting on the limited data available on publi attitudes toward social work, Condie et.al. (1978) recently observed that more research has focused on perceptions of social work by othe professionals than by the public. Indeed, public attitudes toward fare, welfare recipients, and the poor have been assessed more frequ ly than attitudes toward social work although Condie et.al. examined personal characteristics in relation to public attitudes toward vari aspects of social work. In this research, relationships between rel giosity, knowledge about social work, attitudes toward public assist community size, and attitudes toward social work are considered in a sample of the general public. Relig.iosity and Attitudes toward Social Work In recent decades, both organized religion and social work have endorsed greater involvement in social issues with the result that some of the goals of sociar work as a profession and those of sociar servicesocial action programs sponsored by churches aie frequently shared, Among other factors, both may reflect interests in social change and a concern with promoting the wer r-heing of individuars and groups. previous research has examined the attiiudes of social *ort.is toward social action strâtegies (EpsteIn, r968) and the rerationship between rer igiosity and attitudes toward forms of sociar action among the g.ner"r pubric (Marx, 1967). Bur there has been I itil" investiiation"of how rel igiosity influences publ ic perceptions of social work praatice, yeto there is reason to expect that religIosity may be associated with perceptions of social work practice. Although rer iqious institutions have generar ry been conservative forces providing legitimation for the status quo, at the same time they may also be sources of humanistic values that'touta ,rppoit social change to assist others. The. contradictory imprications or rliigion for sociar action, however, have been noted in that one theme stresses an after-rife and urges acceptance of onet lot while.another is more concerned with the real ization of Judeo-christian varues in the current l ir.', iuafr, 1967)' Persons holding a more hunranistic and less doctrinal orientation that incorporates the concept of involvement in securar changes might be expected to express greater support for professionar Aerfing services. More orthodox views of rel igion, however, entai I an other_world orientation in contrast to a mora temporar focus whire sociar work practice is directed to the rhere and nowi'rather than concern for the weilbeing of persons in an after-rife. Thus, persons who hord more orthodox views of religion would likely have less positive attitucles toward social uicrk than individuals with less orthodox rel igious values. Earl ier research indicated that rer iqion inhibiauJ-proa"ra and mi r itancy whi le rel igious orthodoxy was inveriery rerated to church activism among persons to whom rerigion wâs very important (Marx, lg6z; gar,i et. al', l97l). This suggesrs that both orthodoxy and'tr'u a"iience that religion has for the individuar may also infruence attitudes toward social work practice. rn this study ihe rerative infruence of three dimensions _of rel igiosity--orthodoxy, sal ience, and frequency of church attendance -on attitudes toward sociar work practi;. -;a examined. Demographic characteristics and Attitudes toward social \,Jork For.the most part, demographic characteristics have not been very good predictors of attitudes toward welfare o. "pprou"r oi werfare services (Kallen and fliller, lgTI; 0gren, lg7Ð, Ur[-eiri"n and Dean (lg7|) found that men, the young, and the weir-educated herd more negative definitions of the poor. Further, 0gren observed that individuals with the 'least knowledge about pubr ic *.ifai" had the most favorabre attitudes toward weifare recipients, rn the present research, knowredge of sociar urork practices is exanrined in relation to attitudes toward social work. condie et.al. found trrat professicinars tended to have more knowredge of social viork roles than nonprofessionals, v'hile *o*.n-t"na"d to identify roles of social workers somewhatrnor. ".arr"tely than nen, and young peopre were more rikery to be acquainted with a sociat worter than older persons (Condie et.al. , lgTg) since much of the research on pubric attitudes has focused on atti_ tudes towerd werfare and werfare services, in tr,i, l"r""lch attitrides to_ ward pubr ic assistance in general are examined separatery from attitudes toward sociar work and social *orLurs. rssues invorving pubr ic assistarrce are likely more poriticized than those pertaining to other sociar services in that perceptions of,gou"rnr"nt-liaito."a ass istance perhaps wourd tend to reflect more general pol itic"t Aaiiefs about governmentel inter.vention than would attitudes toward social work practice. Much of the res'earch on publi. "ititudes toward werfare or sociar work has not considered the inflr.n."-or communiiv-tir". yet, Ferby (1978) recentry observed that diffeiences in the environment in which rural and urban socia.r workers pr"iti." may infiuence rerationships with their cl ients and perhaps ttt"ir'"iiu.iiu"narr. ih;-;r;;ta,. visIbil ity of social workers in smal r communiti.t-Auv also affect perceptions of the profession and of sociar work cti.nttl Fenby implied that some of the consequences of hiqh visibir ity in a rurar area ,"y-A.-""o"aive result_ ing in high role sirain for tha ,o.i"i worker and iris/her-family (e.g., dif f iculty in maintaining conf i?aAiia'iiay, maintai"i"g " professional imase, separation or pu.ion"r r ii;-";; ii-i.ia;;;;;' ;;:,"oioress ionai_ clienr relationships, and over_familiarity) . on.ir,a'ai'r,5. r,"n?, it could be arsued that the higher ritiiiiity of th"-;;"i;i-*orkur in smail communities may read to gr.at",. knowredge and more positive attitudes toward social work in general. itow.ver, there may alro-Ua a greater emphasis on individuality and,"lfjA"ip among rural populations. These outlooks may be reflected in p".""pliaAr or pubric assistance and atti_ tudes toward cl ients with a.g.""t.i-urph"sis on individua.l Ism and more negative perceptions of social *ort in'rural areas or smalr communities. ln a multivariate analysis it it-p.ti'iure to determine the rerative effect of community si.ze', pr"uiori :;;;;;a with social workers, and other variables on attitudes toward ,o.i"l -*.rL.