The inventors of the two-step-hypothesis, the Columbia researchers, touched upon a major problem in mass communication: The differentiation of the target groups in terms of individual receptiveness. But they did not answer any of our important questions. On the contrary. Biased by their research tradition they worked themselves into a blind allev. This fallacy influenced the development of the mass communication theory in a negative way. I have therefore described the main causes of that misadventure in an appendix to this paper.
In a large Swedish study (some 20.000 interviews on nation-wide probability basis) it has been shown that the entire process is structured by people 'a interest for the subject area. Such an interest is thus the most appropriate basis as well for the classification of the respondents as for the market segmentation, for the media selection, for product-testing, for message evaluation, for integration of the research activities. This paper will present empirical evidence of the statements above.
Within the scope of collectively sponsored consumer studies carried out on large probability samples from the adult Swedish population, questions have been put about attitudes towards political parties as well as towards business enterprises. At the same time, questions have been put about various political problems. Respondents were asked to judge the degree of importance of e.g. more housing, higher wages or more aid to the developing countries.