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THE PULL OF THE FUTURE has always been slowed by the drag of the past, and whenever something new or unfamiliar appears upon the scene, there is an all too human tendency to "close all the shutters except the little ones through which we can see the things we want to see (3:173)." But just as there is resistance to change, there is, in time, acceptance of what proves valuable. The degree of acceptability that has been achieved by the more "conventional" audiovisual media, particularly motion pictures, concerns us in this paper. We explored the question in order to learn some things that may be useful in guiding an information campaign urging an increasing and more effective use of audiovisuals. Attitude measurement was central to this task, and this article is a report of the progress we made to that end. The report, however, is a little more than this, for in working toward the intermediate (or attitude measurement) goal, we encountered difficulties that, through our attempts at solution, led us to a somewhat different view of our larger problem than we originally held.

Data from the Colombian National Fertility Study in 1969 of 5326 women and a 1970 survey of the commercial sector were used to analyze the knowledge use and distribution of condoms in Colombia. 45% of the women in the urban and 26% in the rural areas knew of the condom. 4% of married women of reproductive age had ever used the condom. 70% of the males interviewed knew of the condom. In 1969 it was estimated that 1.1% of married women of reproductive age had partners currently using condoms. 34% of the men had used condoms with other women but only 16% with their wives. For the druggists and street vendors interviewed 70% and 62% respectively used the condom to prevent pregnancy. The estimated total condom sales for 1970 were 8164000. Men under 30 tend to buy condoms in drugstores and those over 30 tend to buy from street vendors. Condoms can be legally imported into Colombia but require a 60% customs duty; thus most are smuggled into the country; Vendors tend to think of the condom as an effective means of contraception but there is a large number who use it solely as a non-family planning prophylactic device; Recommendations include the provision of a steady supply of condoms to the public and an information campaign to educate the population as to the effectiveness of the condom as a family planning method.

Direct mailing is a low-cost method of informing people of family planning and encouraging them to adopt it. A review of the general experience with mailings particularly in Asian family planning programs is the basis of this paper. The Chicago Snowball Information Campaign was the first attempt in the United States to use mailings to promote family planning. 13% of the 4005 persons returned the cards requesting a booklet on family planning. The Meerut District in India was the scene of a study conducted by the Central Family Planning Institute (CFPI) New Delhi. 80% of the mailings reached the target population and the reaction was very successful. The 1 mailing approach in Hong Kong is reported to be unsuccessful. 3 separate mailing campaigns in Korea are discussed and it is asserted that the results have been mixed in terms of success. In Taiwan between 1966 and 1969 pospartum mailings offered a free IUD to the new mother. The offer was valid for 3 months after the child birth. About 4% of the present monthly average of 25000 mailings have been returned for IUD insertions. In addition to mailings used to recruit and sustain contraceptive users mailings have been used for purposes of surveys physician education and contraceptive supply.