In order to confirm that a social influence mechanism is operating in the flags distribution, we have observed (during July 2013) the complete distribution of flags in a representative sample of 276 electoral districts in the city of Barcelona (almost one third of the total extension of the city) the sample includes 213,667 households in which 293,144 voters are registered. By calculating discrete probability distributions (DPD) of flags as a function of the observation window, we confirmed that observed distributions differ systematically from random distributions. In a pilot study during January 2013, we observed the distribution of flags in seven block’s façades of one of Barcelona’s main avenues, where big buildings with a large number of households are the norm, and a high number of flags were hanged. In fact, a preliminary observation of the main streets and avenues of the city confirms that flags seem to appear together in clusters, and that the relationship between the frequency of flags and variables such as voting behaviour or income level is not obvious. It is also possible to analyze the distribution of flags in the visual space of the city in order to detect mechanisms of imitation or contagion. The visual observation of flags in Barcelona’s façades is therefore a chance to obtain direct and objective data on a social behaviour which has a simple binary structure (the options are to hang a flag or not to do it) and a very clear meaning (to express political preferences about ‘the process’). The act of hanging a pro-independence flag in your flat’s balcony or window has become a very usual way of publicly expressing support for ‘the process’ (a term secessionists use to name the political and social road to independence). In this context, and since then, Catalan pro-independence flags have proliferated in Barcelona’s balconies and windows. Secessionists have successfully called for several massive demonstrations in Barcelona, and have achieved the political support of the Catalan government for their claims. Since september 2012 a widespread social and political movement in Catalonia claims to organize a referendum on political independence from Spain. This paper is based on a research project that provides precisely that kind of evidence in the case of the public expression of political preferences in the city of Barcelona during the years 2013-2014. However, empirical data on social influence processes have usually relied on surveys, virtual networks analysis or laboratory experiments, while few behavioural data indicating large social influence dynamics have been obtained from direct observation in ‘natural’ social contexts. Different models of social influence have explored the dynamics of social contagion, imitation, and diffusion of different types of behaviour.
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