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

Abstract

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.