Single Trait versus Multi-Trait Opinion Leadership Models

Abstract

The superdiffuser model identifies a particular kind of opinion leader, those with three different traits beneficial to opinion leadership: connectedness, persuasiveness, and mavenness. Two other models of opinion leadership (strength of personality and generalized opinion leader) focus on a single trait conceptually including elements of both the persuader and connector traits. A nomological network of the superdiffuser model’s connector trait was developed and used to assess the extent to which the two other opinion leader models are distinct from the connector’s nomological network. Competing hypotheses were derived from the single trait and the superdiffuser multi-trait models. A survey (N = 700) was conducted to test these claims. The balance of the evidence was in favor of the superdiffuser model hypotheses with some important exceptions.

Keywords:

• Network Analysis
• opinion leadership
• social influence

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10570314.2024.2351611

Notes

1. At the suggestion of a reviewer, we also compared a single factor model for all 15 superdiffuser items and found the 3-factor model fit better (χ2 = 2885.40, p < .001). We tested a single factor for the nine propensity items and found the 3-factor structure had a better fit (χ2 = 164.49, p < .001). We also tested a model in which all of the retained personality strength and generalized opinion leadership items formed a single factor and found the 2-factor structure had a better fit (χ2 = 320.09, p < .001).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher J. Carpenter

Christopher J. Carpenter (PhD, Michigan State University, 2010) is a Professor in the Department of Communication at Western Illinois University- Quad Cities. He researchers opinion leadership, motivated reasoning, and social media.

Michael R. Kotowski

Michael R. Kotowski (PhD, Michigan State University, 2007) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of TennesseeKnoxville. He researches the social cognitive processes of social influence and interpersonal/small group communication. He also has expertise in research methodology, particularly in the area of measurement.