Sources of Citizens' Bureaucratic Contacts

Among variables found to predict individuals' bureaucratic contacts are need, awareness of programs, socioeconomic status, political orientation, social involvement, and political participation. This study reports a full multivariate analysis of the predictors of bureaucratic contact, using a sample of 456 older Americans, to determine the relative impact of each of these. Two indicators of bureaucratic contact are used as dependent variables: contact with bureaucracies about some problem and actual use of programs. Results are discussed, with special focus on the different patterns of findings for the two dependent variables.