How Do Money, Sex, And Stress Influence Marital Instability?, E. Jeffrey Hill, David B. Allsop, Ashley B. Lebaron, Roy A. Bean

Journal of Financial Therapy

This study explored how money and sex simultaneously predicted marital instability, and what financial therapists might focus on with clients to address problems in these areas. Specifically, this paper concurrently examined the relationship of marital instability to financial and family stressors (financial stressors, work-family conflict, and parenting stressors); financial and sexual resources (couple income and couple sexual frequency); and financial and sexual perceptions (financial dissatisfaction and sexual dissatisfaction). Couple financial communication and couple relational communication were explored as intervention points for financial therapists. Data came from Wave 2 of the Flourishing Families data set (N = 301). Data were organized …

The Food Factor: Perceptions Of The Brand, Mckayla Brubaker, Quisto Settle, Laura Downey, Alisha Hardman

Journal of Applied Communications

Mississippi residents were surveyed to determine their perceptions surrounding the The Food Factor brand. The Food Factor is a weekly Extension mass media program that communicates research-based information about food, nutrition, diet, and healthy lifestyles. A researcher-developed survey instrument was used to collect information using Qualtrics. The sample consisted of a representative sample of 404 Mississippi residents over the age of 18. Nonprobability quota sampling was used to examine population segments related to sex, Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic populations, and other racial demographic segments. The respondents were asked about their use and awareness of The Food Factor, where they were …

Gender And Gmos: Understanding Floridians Attitudes Toward Gmos Through The Lens Of Social Judgment Theory, Joy N. Rumble, Lisa K. Lundy, Brittany Martin, Sandra Anderson

Journal of Applied Communications

Social judgement theory was utilized to determine if men and women showed different acceptance of messages about genetically modified (GM) foods. The primary objective was to determine if females and males had a different latitude of acceptance toward statements about GM foods. Researchers found significant differences between males and females with more males accepting messages about GM foods than females. Additionally, there were several statements with wide latitudes of acceptance across genders. These statements represent a common ground and are a good starting point for conversations about GM food.

Using Cognitive Dissonance To Communicate With Hypocrites About Water Conservation And Climate Change, Melissa R. Taylor, Alexa J. Lamm, Lisa K. Lundy

Journal of Applied Communications

The effects of climate change can be mitigated by altering human behavior related to water conservation; however, many who are aware of climate change are not aligning their behavior to curb the impact. This research sought to explore the relationship between citizens’ beliefs, attitudes and behaviors regarding water conservation and their knowledge and beliefs regarding climate change to guide the development of effective communication campaigns focused on water conservation. Using cognitive dissonance theory and an adapted environmental attitudes and behavior quartet, this research focused on individuals who demonstrated high levels of climate change knowledge but did not engage in positive …

Matching Local Food Messages To Consumer Motivators: An Experiment Comparing The Effects Of Differently Framed Messages, Katie M. Abrams, Catharine Soukup

Journal of Applied Communications

Past research suggests the local food movement provides economic and social benefits to consumers and producers alike. These benefits might account for the significant increase in local food sales. Despite its increasing popularity, further communications research is needed since a dominant messaging strategy does not currently exist to advance the local food movement. Food quality, healthfulness, and support of local farmers were previously empirically identified as motivating factors to purchase local food; however, they had not been tested comparatively for effectiveness. Based in framing theory and the theory of planned behavior, we sought to test if brief messages framed to …

Where I Come From: Exploring Regional Differences In California Consumers’ Attitudes And Beliefs About Fluid Milk, Annie R. Specht, Ashlan E. Wickstrom, Emily B. Buck

Journal of Applied Communications

Guided by the theory of reasoned action and social cognitive theory, this study was conducted to better understand how decisions to purchase organic or conventional milk are influenced by norms and attitudes established via human interactions and how those norms and attitudes vary by geographic region. An online Qualtrics survey was used to gain insight into behaviors, attitudes, and interactions of 308 milk consumers in various geographical regions of [State]. The findings indicate that urban, suburban, and rural consumers differ in some ways in their interactions related to milk information, as well as their perceptions of organic versus conventional milk. …

Identifying Publics In Citrus Producing States To Address The Issue Of Citrus Greening, Taylor Ruth 7031249, Alexa J. Lamm, Joy N. Rumble, Jason D. Ellis Ph.D.

Journal of Applied Communications

Citrus greening is a critical issue facing the agricultural industry in the United States. The disease has been identified in residential and commercial areas, and there is a need to identify best practices in communicating with the public about the disease. The Situational Theory of Publics (STOPs) uses audience segmentation to determine how to best communicate with target consumers and was used to guide this study. The purpose of the study was to determine the types of publics present in the citrus producing states of Florida, California, and Texas as they relate to citrus greening. An online survey was completed …

The Effects Of Online Video On Consumers’ Attitudes Toward Local Food, Shuyang Qu, Alexa J. Lamm, Joy N. Rumble, Ricky W. Telg

Journal of Applied Communications

Marketers rate online video as their most utilized content medium. This study used a between-subject control group post-test-only experiment to investigate the effect of three local food messages delivered via online video on U.S. consumers’ attitudes toward local food. The three 30-second videos each featured one of the documented benefits of local food: high quality, support of local economy, and strengthening of social connection. Results indicated all three video treatments yielded a positive attitude toward local food, while respondents in the control group had a neutral attitude. The video treatment featuring local food’s high quality generated a significantly more favorable …

Improving Biosecurity Through Instructional Crisis Communication: Lessons Learned From The Pedv Outbreak, Timothy L. Sellnow, Jason S. Parker, Deanna D. Sellnow, Robert S. Littlefield, Emily M. Helsel, Morgan C. Getchell, Julia M. Smith, Scott C. Merrill

Journal of Applied Communications

Crises, by their nature, demand effectively designed and quickly delivered instructional messages that compel stakeholders to take appropriate actions to protect themselves and their assets. The challenges of crisis communication are intensified in crises involving unanticipated and relatively unknown disease outbreaks with the potential to spread exponentially. This study assesses the communication challenges and opportunities in such volatile crises through an analysis of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) outbreak that severely threatened the United States pork industry in 2013 and 2014. Interviews were conducted with 13 individuals directly involved in developing and distributing risk and crisis biosecurity messages during …

Marketing Power Berries: An Importance-Performance Analysis Of Blueberry, Shuyang Qu, Alexa J. Lamm, Joy N. Rumble

Journal of Applied Communications

The unique health benefits of blueberries have increased consumers’ demand for this fruit. Although the demand is still low compared to other fruits including apples and grapes, consumers’ growing interest in blueberries has led to a significant increase of blueberry acreage in the U.S., causing the supply to exceed demand. To increase blueberry consumption and sales for the benefits of both consumers’ health and the blueberry industry, this study selected 18 blueberry attributes and used an online survey to examine blueberry purchasers’ perceived importance and satisfaction of these attributes. An importance-performance analysis (IPA) of these attributes was conducted to provide …

Are We There Yet? Toward An Agricultural Communications Academic Organization, Erica Irlbeck, Emily B. Buck

Journal of Applied Communications

As agricultural communications has grown and evolved since its origins more than 100 years ago, the future directions of the discipline related to teaching, research, and as a professional organization are discussed with a challenge to the members of the profession to be engaged in future discussions and decisions.