After 1945, both the Western Allies in Germany and some German social scientists embraced empirical public opinion research. This article examines the rhetoric, practices, and collaborative professional efforts of two of the most significant institutions conducting opinion research in West Germany in the 1950s: the Allensbach Institute and the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt. Although the political stances of these institutions differed, they were motivated to apply empirical research methods associated with Anglo‐American social research to the West German population by shared concerns about the fragility of democracy, faith in the empirical sciences as an antidote to Nazi‐era thought patterns, and the need to form a united front against doubters within West Germany. Even while declaring their desire to incorporate the latest empirical advances from the United States, however, they sought to articulate the meaning of their methods and findings in terms of the specific challenges faced by West Germany.

中文翻译：

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交叉的目标，不同的路径：艾伦斯巴赫研究所、社会研究所以及 1950 年代西德的舆论研究

1945年后，无论是在德国的西方盟国，还是一些德国社会科学家，都开始进行实证民意研究。本文考察了 1950 年代在西德进行舆论研究的两个最重要的机构：艾伦斯巴赫研究所和法兰克福社会研究所的修辞、实践和合作专业努力。尽管这些机构的政治立场不同，但由于共同关注民主的脆弱性、相信实证科学是纳粹时代的解毒剂，他们有动力将与英美社会研究相关的实证研究方法应用于西德人口。思想模式，以及在西德内部形成反对怀疑者的统一战线的必要性。