This research on the political campaign leading up to the Spanish election in June of 1993 is part of a large cross-national study on the manner in which citizens obtain information during political campaigns. It focuses on the roles played by secondary organizations and personal contacts with friends, co-workers and family as well as the impact of the mass media on the channeling and structuring of political information to potential voters. This study, as part of the larger Comparative National Elections Project, will enhance our understanding of the flow of information in campaigns. The effectiveness of this communications process is vital to citizens making informed judgements in their voting decisions and is, therefore, critical to the health of the democratic process. The funding will be used to expand the sample size of the surveys so that conclusions drawn on the basis of these data will be more reliable. The researchers will archive campaign materials, especially the media broadcasts that appear to play such a major role in modern campaigns, so that the flow of information can be accurately assessed after the campaign. These data would not be retrievable without immediate support for the project.
