Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Polio was an epidemic in India in the 1970s. The government tried various ways to curb it, but the results were not impressive. Then Amitabh Bachchan was roped in to be the face of the Pulse Polio Campaign in India. The slogan of polio eradication campaign was "DO BOOND ZINDAGI KE" (Two drops of Life). He educated people on the various advantages of polio vaccination and appealed to them to actively participate in the drive. This brought positive change in people's attitude towards the polio vaccine. After that, Indians took the campaign seriously and actively participated in the polio vaccination drive. Due to the effectiveness of the drive, India has become a polio-free country. Till date, the people in India relate the voice of Amitabh Bachchan to the polio eradication campaign.
What according to you Amitabh Bachchan had, that led to a change in people's attitude towards the campaign?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Credibility and attractiveness
Option (1) Simplicity and centrality — Incorrect. These are properties of an attitude: simplicity is the number of attitudes within a broader attitude, and centrality is the role of an attitude in the attitude system. They belong to the attitude being changed, not to the person who changes it.
Option (2) Credibility and attractiveness — Correct. Source credibility and attractiveness are the two features of the source that affect attitude change. Attitudes are more likely to change when the message comes from a highly credible source, and some products sell more when popular public figures publicise them. Amitabh Bachchan was a trusted and popular public figure, so people accepted his message.
Option (3) Motive and personality — Incorrect. Motives and personality are general features of a person; they are not named among the source characteristics that make a message persuasive.
Option (4) Intelligence and self-esteem — Incorrect. Intelligence and self-esteem are qualities of the target, the people whose attitude is to be changed. A person with low self-esteem changes her/his attitude more easily, but these qualities belong to the public, not to Amitabh Bachchan.
NCERT (2025-26): “Source characteristics : … Source credibility and attractiveness are two features that affect attitude change. Attitudes are more likely to change when the message comes from a highly credible source rather than from a low-credible source. For example, adults who are planning to buy a laptop are more convinced by a computer engineer who points out the special features of a particular brand of laptop, than they would be by a schoolchild who might give the same information. But, if the buyers are themselves schoolchildren, they may be convinced more by another schoolchild advertising a laptop than they would be by a professional giving the same information (see Figure 6.1). In the case of some products such as cars, sales may increase if they are publicised, not necessarily by experts, but by popular public figures.…” |