Communication network influences on information diffusion and persuasion

Communication networks' influences on the information diffusion process and the effects of 2 virtually identical communication programs were studied. These programs were implemented in 2 Dutch neighborhoods with different levels of cohesion. It was expected that information diffusion would be related to the number of network ties, whereas program effects would be related to the strength of network ties. Data were collected from a representative sample of the target group by means of pre- and posttest surveys and 5 small process surveys. The data confirm the main hypothesis and also provide some support for the strength-of-weak-ties hypothesis (Granovetter, 1973). No significant interaction effects of neighborhood and network variables were found. The results provide some insight on how people restrain each other from adoption and how this is related to the strength and number of communication ties. We thank René van der Vlist, Henk Wilke, and five anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on this article. We also thank Leo van der Kamp and Ivo van der Lans for their methodological advice. Finally, we are indebted to Donald Warren for his contribution to this work. Department of Social and Organizational Psychology/Center for Energy and Environmental Research, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden Leiden, The Netherlands