Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

George Larkin

Abstract

Policy professionals would benefit from a social theory capable of suggesting policy change ramifications prior to public implementation. There is a research analysis shortfall concerning the usefulness of elite theory in modern social change. This study was an investigation of the effectiveness of elite theory to inform public policy analysts of behavioral outcomes following policy creation or change. Elite theory is the theoretical foundation that guided the framework of this study. The research question examined the effectiveness of elite theory to suggest behavioral outcomes in response to reduced personal privacy due to domestic government surveillance. A correlational research design was integrated with a thematic methodology to analyze 8,223 secondary data points obtained from a randomized sample of 1,537 adult, English speaking panel participants across the United States from the years 2013 through 2015. Selective coding using key word, key phrase, and subject matter matching was employed to assign categorical values to panel responses about privacy and personal behavior. Themes were identified and triangulated with themes regarding privacy and behavior that emerged from the literature that was reviewed. The results indicated that individuals have strongly held beliefs regarding privacy but do not undertake sustained behavior to protect it. The results point to an alignment with elite theory suggesting that the social theory may be used in policy development. This research is significant for both government policy professionals and grassroots social change organizers as they navigate the potential effects of policy change.

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