Public Relations Research

The topic of public relations research is vast. Consider that this volume has more than 20 entries that are directly related to research. This entry provides an overview to public relations research and indicates how it is utilized in the public relations process. The first half discusses research in general including the two basic approaches to research and some of the methods used in research. The second half explains the role of research in the practice of public relations and building the public relations body of knowledge.

Research involves the collection of data or information. Data are simply observations about the world around us. Research can be divided into two general approaches: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative methods are descriptive and interpretive. Researchers collect data that provides descriptions of behaviors or events in a naturalistic setting—the data are collected in the “real world” rather than a laboratory. Researchers then interpret what the data mean. Different researchers can derive different interpretations from the same data. That is why qualitative methods are considered subjective; the data are open to multiple interpretations and all can be correct. Qualitative researchers are not trying to generalize their results beyond the sample they have studied. Their results only apply to the sample they studied.

Quantitative research is objective and reduces data to numbers. These numbers are then analyzed by using accepted statistical principles and statistical [Page 694]tests. The agreement on the statistical measures and principles makes the results objective. Multiple researchers looking at the same data analysis should reach the same basic conclusions. For example, a basic statistical test is the correlation. A correlation looks for relationships between two variables. It indicates if two things vary in a similar fashion. For instance, the value of one variable increases each time the value of a second variable increases. Each statistical test has an accepted level of significance, a point at which the finding is considered important. The level of significance in public relations research tends to be .05. That means the results have only a 5 in 100 chance of being an accident. (See the Statistical Analysis entry for a more detailed discussion). This means that if 10 researchers ran the same set of data and the correlation had a significance of only .10, all 10 would say there is no relationship. The reliance on numbers and statistics provides the agreement that makes quantitative research objective. Moreover, quantitative researchers are trying to generalize. They want to claim that the results should hold true for the general population and not just their sample. (See Experiment/experimental methods and Sampling for more information on generalizability.)

Researchers have a variety of methods for collecting data. Qualitative research might use surveys or experiments. Quantitative researchers might use case study or focus groups. Each of these methods has specific entries in this volume. The way you collect data reflects your general orientation to research and whether it is qualitative or quantitative.

The importance of research to public relations can be traced through its basic use in public relations—the importance practitioners place on research, and research's growing importance in training public relations practitioners. We can see how research fits into the practice of public relations by quickly reviewing four steps in the public relations process. Several similar four-step plans have been presented to describe the public relations process. Scott Cutlip, Allen Center, and Glen Broom's model is a commonly used one. Step one is situation analysis; the practitioner needs to understand what is happening in the situation. The practitioner must understand what is happening before planning a response. Step two is strategy; the practitioner decides what should be said and done. This involves creating objectives, identifying target audiences, and creating messages. Step three is implementation; the practitioner decides how and when to deliver the messages. This concerns the selection of communication channels or media and the timing of the message. Step four is assessment; practitioners determine whether or not the objectives were achieved. The focus is on finding evidence of success or failure.

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