SOCIAL EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGICAL UNEMPLOYMENT

Abstract

This study was a part of a larger survey conducted in 1958, focusing on the effects of plant shutdown on a sample of 499 out of a population of 4,012 former employees of the Packard Motor Car Company. In addition to other things, there was a desire to determine what effect this deprivational experience would have on their political attitudes and what modes of adjustment they might adopt in response to their situation. The problem of this particular dissertation was to focus on three of the many possible types of response men may adopt in deprivational situations in an attempt to determine what factors would have lead them to react as they did.

The response patterns studied were: 1. Class consciousness: situation viewed in class terms with the result of greater identification with the working class and greater adherence to working class organizations. In addition, a desire to see greater governmental control over the economy. 2. Anomia: a view of the world and personal relations as fickle with little or no desire to continue to be a part of it all arising from despair and resignation. 3. Prejudice against Jews and Blacks.

A before and after research design was not available to us so we found it necessary to make internal comparisons to see the effects of varying levels of deprivation on our dependent variables. Although our data only showed covariation we assumed causality in this situation.

Class consciousness A large majority of these workers manifested this attitudinal stance. In addition, we found their perception of their deprivation (subjective deprivation) was of greater importance than the degree of economic deprivation they had actually experienced in their becoming class conscious. We next looked at the effects of our intervening variables and found that the middle aged, the skilled, the white workers and those who viewed the mobility structure as limited in opportunity were those who exhibited the highest relationship between class consciousness and subjective deprivation.

Anomia Fewer workers manifested anomia than class consciousness. Also, it was not clear whether objective or subjective deprivation was of greater importance in their becoming anomic. Both covaried to produce anomia. Speculating, it seemed to us that both the plant shutdown itself and the workers' perception of their situation as deprivational were acting initially to stimulate this type of response and as they experienced greater economic deprivation this intensified the shock and the tendency to be anomic.

We next looked at the effects of our intervening variables and found that the middle aged, the skilled, and the white workers showed the highest relationship between anomia and subjective deprivation. Though there weren’t large differences between categories, we found workers whose view of the mobility structure was open exhibited the highest relationship between anomia and subjective deprivation.

Prejudice Combined prejudice against Jews and Blacks showed no relationship to either objective or subjective deprivation. Examining this more closely, we found that prejudice against Blacks showed a negative relationship to economic deprivation and, some, though probably not statistically significant relationship to subjective deprivation. Prejudice against Jews was negatively related to both objective and subjective deprivation. The overwhelming majority of our sample was prejudiced against Blacks whereas the opposite was the situation in relation to prejudice against Jews. We, therefore, dropped our combined measure and worked only with our measure of prejudice against Blacks. Examining the effects of our intervening variables, we found that older workers, unskilled and semi-skilled workers and those with a closed and medium mobility orientation showed a positive relationship between prejudice against Blacks and subjective deprivation.