Modern world is seething with rival propaganda mitl counterpropaganda campaigns. It is, therefore, sometimes difficult to find out what is true and what is not. Nevertheless, various methods can be applied to find out the effects of a particular propaganda campaign. They are briefly as under:
Content analysis: Content analysis means to study the contents of a propaganda campaign. For instance, the number of column inches of printed space or seconds and minutes of radio or television time that propaganda occupied can be tabulated, thus the trend or purpose of propaganda assessed. The symbol and themes it contained can be categorised in terms of expressed or implied demands for action of various types.
Intensive interviews: Selected individuals among the audience or the target people can be intensively interviewed by specially trained interviewers. If this is not possible, as it is often the case with people under a dictator or an autocratic ruler, informed persons can be interviewed who have either personal experience of such governments or have special interest in them, such as refugees, expellees, exiles, or scholars who have specially studied conditions in such a State.
Extensive observations: A propaganda campaign can be extensively observed by specially trained people. Such persons are called participant observers, that is, those who directly participate in the activities of party or movement and thereby can personally observe the effects of its propaganda. Moreover, audience’s size and composition of audiences on such campaigns can be indirectly observed. Where printed or telecommunication, media are used, their readership or listenership figures can also be obtained. If public meeting or demonstrations are involved, there may be observers’ reports, such as those of the newspaper reporters, etc.
Experiments and panel interviews: Lastly, experiments on the reputed behaviour of the audiences can be conducted by comparing with similar or matched groups, which may be exposed to the same kind of propaganda and their reactions noted. However, such experiments may suffer from some drawbacks. The matched group may not be representative of the audiences. Moreover, exact conditions confronting the audience may not be reproducible. But if these drawbacks are kept in mind, experiments can give some accurate results. Anyway, these defects can be overcome by panel interviews. The panel interviews are conducted with small matched groups who are closely and intensively or repeatedly interviewed. Even then it should be remembered that the effects of a propaganda campaign cannot be accurately measured but only estimated. But even fairly accurate estimation can go far in understanding the effects of a propaganda campaign.