Researching Audiences: A Dialogue between Cultural Studies & Social Science

The distinction between 'administrative' and 'critical' audience research is one with a long history in mass communications. This article argues that while cultural studies academics in the last few years have made important observations about the paedocratising nature of 'institutional' methods of inquiry, they have been too quick to dismiss out of hand the significance of such research. Despite their shortcomings, social science approaches to audience research play an important part in framing public discourse and there is much at stake in debates about the way such research is carried out. It is important that cultural studies critics recognise they have an important, critical contribution to make, one that requires more than simply privileging 'critical' and 'ethnographic' approaches over 'administrative' and 'social science' ones.