Bureau of Applied Social Research

research project, Princeton, New Jersey, United States

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June 18, 2026

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The Bureau of Applied Social Research was a prominent research institute, initially established as the Office of Radio Research at Princeton University in 1937. It later transferred to Columbia University in 1940, where it was renamed the Bureau of Applied Social Research. Under the direction of Austrian-born sociologist Paul Felix Lazarsfeld, it became a leading center for empirical social research.1

The bureau focused on studying the influence of mass media on society, particularly on Americans' voting habits and preferences. Lazarsfeld and his associates conducted large-scale studies on the effects of newspapers, magazines, radio, and motion pictures. Notable works include Radio and the Printed Page (1940) and The People's Choice (1944).1

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Paul Felix Lazarsfeld
…served as director of the Office of Radio Research, a Rockefeller project at Princeton University (1937–40), and, when the project was transferred to Columbia University in 1940 (it was later renamed the Bureau of Applied Social Research), he continued as its director and was appointed to the sociology department of…
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…served as director of the Office of Radio Research, a Rockefeller project at Princeton University (1937–40), and, when the project was transferred to Columbia University in 1940 (it was later renamed the Bureau of Applied Social Research), he continued as its director and was appointed to the sociology department of…
Read More