Social Representations and Public Policy: Influence of the Distance from the Object on Representational Valence

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DOI: 10.4236/jss.2015.39038    3,473 Downloads   4,743 Views  Citations

ABSTRACT

Theory: Our research is based on the social representations theory (Moscovici, 1961) [1] as an interpretation grid to understand reality. These representations constitute a way to defend social positions towards a social object. We are interested in the concept of distance from the object (Abric, 2001) [2] to study individuals’ feelings towards a social object. People can feel concerned and close to it, or not concerned and distant from it. We assume this link impacts the representational elements’ valence. By applying it to the urban mobility public policy of 30 kph, we inscribe it into an applied approach with the aim of helping urban planners, politicians and associations to understand social acceptability of this measure. Method: 129 young French drivers (mean age: 22.4; SD: 3.8; 78% are women and 22% are men) replied to a questionnaire to determine the individuals’ distance from the object and the social representation of 30 kph. Results: A T test highlights the significant influence of the distance from the object on the representational elements’ valence. Depending on individuals’ feelings, social representation is focused upon pro-social or negative aspects. Gender seems to have a minor impact, whereas the regular mode of transport seems to influence the representation. Applications: Our results clearly give information to build efficient awareness campaigns (Bordarie & Gaymard, 2015) [3]. They can also provide indications for urban planners to implement 30 kph zones, highlighting the flexibility of practices (Bordarie & Gaymard, 2015) [4].

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Bordarie, J. and Gaymard, S. (2015) Social Representations and Public Policy: Influence of the Distance from the Object on Representational Valence. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 3, 300-305. doi: 10.4236/jss.2015.39038.

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