Donors and nondonors: communication and information

Donors and nondonors from six states were surveyed to determine differences in: 1) socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, 2) knowledge about blood donation, 3) access to information about donating, and 4) motivation to donate. The findings indicate that the present donor pool consists largely of socioeconomically advancing young adults. There was little difference between donors' and nondonors' knowledge of the donating process and access to mass media-disseminated information about blood donation. Nondonors receive more information about donating from friends than do donors and interpersonal influence is an effective means of donor recruitment. The use of motivators other than humanitarianism may also be useful for inducing volunteer donations. Nondonors do lack knowledge about the location of local collection facilities. The present sample is socioeconomically and demographically representative of the U.S. adult population. As such, it provides information useful for developing effective donor recruitment strategies.