Paul Lazarsfeld
Founding figure in 20th-century empirical sociology.
Paul Felix Lazarsfeld (1901–1976) was an Austrian-American sociologist and mathematician. He established Columbia University’s Bureau of Applied Social Research and shaped both the methods and the organization of social research. One colleague remarked after his death that Lazarsfeld didn’t just practice American sociology—he defined what it would become. Lazarsfeld himself said his ambition was “to produce Paul Lazarsfelds.” He is regarded as a key founder of 20th-century empirical sociology.
Born to Jewish parents in Vienna, his mother Sophie was an Adlerian therapist and his father Robert a lawyer. He studied at the University of Vienna, earning a doctorate in mathematics in 1925 with a dissertation on the mathematical aspects of Einstein’s gravitational theory. During the 1920s, he moved among Vienna Circle philosophers like Otto Neurath and Rudolf Carnap and was a socialist activist. His shift to sociology came through his quantitative skills; he took part in early quantitative studies, including what may have been the first scientific survey of radio listeners in 1930–1931. In 1927, he married sociologist Marie Jahoda. With Hans Zeisel, they produced a classic study on unemployment’s social effects in a small community, *Die Arbeitslosen von Marienthal* (1932; English translation 1971).
The Marienthal work caught the Rockefeller Foundation’s attention, earning Lazarsfeld a two-year traveling fellowship to the United States (1933–1935). During that time, he worked with the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, toured the country, and visited the few universities with empirical social science programs. He met Luther Fry at the University of Rochester—an encounter that later inspired the research for *Personal Influence*—and Robert S. Lynd, author of the Middletown study. Lynd helped Lazarsfeld emigrate and recommended him for directorships at the Newark Center and the Princeton Office of Radio Research. Lazarsfeld also approached the Psychological Corporation with project ideas, but most were rejected as lacking commercial value or being too complex. He helped Cornell psychologist John Jenkins translate a statistics introduction he had written for his Vienna students (*Say It With Figures*). He also pursued research based on his 1935 article “The Art of Asking Why,” which introduced his “reason analysis” approach.
When his fellowship ended in 1935,
- born
- February 13, 1901
- died
- August 30, 1976
- field
- Sociology, mathematics
- nationality
- Austrian-American
- known_for
- Founder of Columbia University's Bureau of Applied Social Research; two-step flow of communication; latent class model; modern empirical sociology
Lore & Background
Lazarsfeld was born to Jewish parents in Vienna; his mother was Adlerian therapist Sophie Lazarsfeld, and his father Robert was a lawyer. He attended the University of Vienna, receiving a doctorate in mathematics in 1925, with a dissertation on mathematical aspects of Einstein's gravitational theory. In the 1920s, he moved in the same circles as the Vienna Circle, including Otto Neurath and Rudolf Carnap, and served as a socialist activist. He came to sociology through his expertise in mathematics and quantitative methods, participating in early quantitative studies, including what was possibly the first scientific survey of radio listeners in 1930–1931. In 1927 he married sociologist Marie Jahoda; together with Hans Zeisel they wrote a now-classical study of
Reader's Guide
Lazarsfeld's significance lies in his foundational role in 20th-century empirical sociology and his transformation of social research methods. He institutionalized opinion research through his institutes in Newark and at Columbia University, bridging European and American research models. His work on the two-step flow of communication, opinion leadership, and the narcotizing dysfunction of media shaped the field of mass communication. He invented the latent class model and advanced statistical survey analysis, panel methods, and contextual analysis. He trained many younger sociologists, and his ideas have become so influential as to be considered self-evident. His approach, which he called 'Administrative Research,' combined large expert staffs, multiple investigative methods, and funding from both academia and commercial clients, demonstrating that empirical research could serve both business and academia. His legacy includes the Bureau of Applied Social Research and a lasting impact on how sociology is practiced and organized.
Did You Know?
- Lazarsfeld's doctoral dissertation dealt with mathematical aspects of Einstein's gravitational theory.
- He participated in what was possibly the first scientific survey of radio listeners, in 1930–1931.
- He published under a pseudonym to make his Newark Center appear to have a larger staff.
- His mother Sophie Lazarsfeld survived him by almost a month, dying at age 95.
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