Information use, attitude formation, and opinion expression concerning the U.S. military buildup on Guam: The effects of colonial debt, pro-local stances, and conflict avoidance

This dissertation examines information use, attitude formation, and opinion expression concerning the U.S. military buildup on the island of Guam. This buildup involves the relocation of an estimated 8,500 U.S. Marine Corps personnel and 18,000 of their dependents and civilian support from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam.;This dissertation investigates whether attention to information sources (local media, U.S. military officials, and U.S. politicians), perceived trustworthiness of information sources, colonial debt, and pro-local stances toward military presence influence attitudes toward the buildup; whether the perception that others' opinions regarding the buildup are congruent with one's own will be associated with willingness to express opinions on the buildup; whether conflict avoidance will negatively predict willingness to express opinions.;Data from a pilot study were collected from a convenience sample ( N= 242) of Guam residents in August 2008. Final data for this dissertation was collected through a probability-based mail survey of registered voters on Guam (N= 319), administered during the summer of 2009.;Results of the final 2009 mail survey showed that attention to information sources did not predict attitudes; trustworthiness of local media, trustworthiness of U.S. military officials/U.S. mainland politicians, and colonial debt were positively associated with pro-buildup attitudes; trustworthiness of U.S. military officials/U.S. mainland politicians and colonial debt were negatively associated with anti-buildup attitudes; pro-local stances toward military presence on Guam was positively associated with anti-buildup attitudes and negatively associated with pro-buildup attitudes and trustworthiness of U.S. military officials/U.S. mainland politicians; perceived congruence of opinions was positively associated with willingness to express opinions; conflict avoidance was negatively associated with willingness to express opinions. Conflict avoidance interacted with perceived congruence of opinions to predict willingness to express opinions.;This dissertation ended by identifying conclusions, implications, and directions for future research.