Communication Innovators or Laggards? - Diffusion of Innovations by U.S. Public Relations Practitioners

Everett M. Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory was used as a framework to study 116 chapter members of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in a Midwestern U.S. state. Web-based and paper-based surveys were used to collect the self-reporting data. According to Rogers (1986), "Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over a period of time among members of a social system" (p. 117). Public relations practitioners are the members of the social system that were studied. Diffusion research centers on the conditions which increase or decrease the likelihood that a new idea, product, or practice will be adopted by members of a given culture. It is hoped that this thesis research will to add to the body of knowledge about diffusion of innovation in public relations by helping to identify the perceived innovation attributes, influences, obstacles and relative advantage of innovations by public relations practitioners. This could assist public relations agencies in weighing the pros and cons of future decisions and strategies for implementing innovations.