Distance to the object and social representations: replication and further evidences

Distance to the object is a new approach that highlights the complex nature of the link between groups and social representations. It is composed of three elements: knowledge, involvement, and level of practices associated with the social object. This study aims to replicate a previous study that has demonstrated the validity of distance to the object in order to explore social representations of cannabis. We carried out a research on the social representations of cocaine. Respondents (n = 200) completed a questionnaire including opinions related to cocaine and constitutive elements of the distance to cocaine. The regression analysis on the representational dimensions revealed a significant effect of the distance variable on two dimensions (social facilitator, addiction and social dangerousness). The groups that were "distant" from the object showed stronger adherence to the normative component than to the functional component of SR, in opposition to those who were "close" to the object. The concept of distance to the object is thus heuristic as it offers an integrative grid of reading that permits to understand and highlight the link individuals maintain with a social representation.