Persuasion as a tool to enhance the use of Basque and the attitude towards the language among public administration staff

Abstract

The present study analyses the effectiveness of an intervention targeted at admi- nistrative staff which aimed to improve their attitude towards the Basque language, their in- tention to use it and their real use of it. The intervention was based on persuasion under high elaboration conditions or systematic processing, where the aim was to promote reflection on and critical evaluation of persuasive messages. Data were collected from two Government departments. The three parameters (attitude towards the Basque language, intention to use the language, and real use of it) were measured before and after the intervention. The results show that the intervention improved the aforementioned three parameters