Black ethnicity and innovative communication

Abstract

Behavioral scientists have noted an increasing emphasis on ethnicity and ethnically defined identities among diverse social groups. The relationships between ethnicity and a concept central to the innovation diffusion paradigm—innovative communication—are empirically investigated within the Black American subculture. Tests of seven hypotheses derived from prior research on black-white consumption patterns reveal significant differences in the correlates of this diffusion construct which appear to be attributable to both ethnic and socioeconomic influences.