The Political Activity of Social Workers: A Post-Reagan Update

Authors

Mark Ezell, University of Washington

Abstract

This article reports the findings of a survey that examined the political activism of social workers and what changes may have occurred in their political participation during the Reagan years. Social workers are politically active largely by writing letters to public officials but also by discussing political issues with friends, by belonging to politically active organizations and by attending political meetings. In addition, a substantial proportion of social workers make campaign contributions and get involved in candidate elections. Among social workers, those with the highest educational degrees, those who are NASW members, those who are in macro type jobs, and black social workers tend to be more active than their colleagues. These data also suggest that one of the primary reasons social workers are politically active is to advocate for clients. There has been significant growth in the political involvement of social workers over the Reagan years in office, confirming Amidei's (1987) perception of greater political efforts on behalf of the vulnerable.

Recommended Citation

Ezell, Mark (1993) "The Political Activity of Social Workers: A Post-Reagan Update," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 20: Iss. 4, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.2096
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol20/iss4/6