IS THERE A 2-STEP FLOW OF AGENDA-SETTING

The present study integrates two concepts: the notion of opinion leade rship, as conceptualized and measured by the Strength of Personality ( SP) scale, and the agenda-setting process. Thus, we suggest and test a two-step flow model in which certain individuals, the influentials, i dentify emerging issues in the mass media and then diffuse these issue s to others via their personal networks. Based on a series of six nati onal surveys conducted in Germany (1990) measuring issue salience and various personal characteristics, this study highlights the role certa in individuals play in the emergence of the public agenda. The degree to which individuals can be influenced, measured by the SP scale, is f ound to be a powerful predictor of the formation of personal agendas, with high SP individuals differing from others in their identification of emerging public issues. However, the analysis reveals the complexi ty of these relationships: they depend on the obtrusiveness of the iss ue, and they vary over time and location (East or West Germany). The f indings encourage the empirical pursuit of the suggested 'two-step flo w model' as applied to the agenda-setting process.