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International Journal of Public Opinion Research Advance Access originally published online on November 28, 2005
International Journal of Public Opinion Research 2006 18(4):422-444; doi:10.1093/ijpor/edh118
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International Journal of Public Opinion Research Vol. 18 No. 4 © The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The World Association for Public Opinion Research. All rights reserved.

The Need for Orientation Towards News Media: Revising and Validating a Classic Concept

Jörg Matthes

Jörg Matthes is a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research, University of Zürich, Switzerland. His research focuses on the process of public opinion formation, media effects, and trust in news media.

Please address correspondence to Jörg Matthes, IPMZ—Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research, University of Zürich, Andreasstrasse 15, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland, e-mail: j.matthes{at}ipmz.unizh.ch

The need for orientation is the most prominent contingent condition for agenda-setting effects. It provides a psychological explanation for why people engage in information seeking and why some people are susceptible to agenda-setting effects while others are not. The purpose of this paper is to present the development and empirical validation of a three-dimensional scale of need for orientation. Based on a review of previous measures, three dimensions of need for orientation are posited: The need for orientation towards issues, the need for orientation towards facts and the need for orientation towards journalistic evaluations. In a first step, the model is tested on a representative sample applying confirmatory factor analysis. After some modifications, the model is finally validated on another, independent sample. A series of studies demonstrate the psychometric properties of the measure and its construct validity with respect to related constructs. The theoretical utility of the construct and the measure of need for orientation are discussed.


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J. Matthes
Need for Orientation as a Predictor of Agenda-Setting Effects: Causal Evidence from a Two-Wave Panel Study
Int. J. Public Opin. Res., December 1, 2008; 20(4): 440 - 453.
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