A taxonomy of levels of analysis in mass media decision making is presented in this paper, and a strategy is proposed for incorporating the different levels into the design of research. Following a clarification of the concept of influence and its relationship to the levels of analysis used in the taxonomic structure, the paper describes the following eight hierarchical levels, ordered from the molar or societal level to the molecular or individual level: societal level influences, industry level or interorganizational relations, supraorganizational influences, community or market influences, intraorganizational influences, formal or informal group influences, the influence of dyadic communication, and intraindividual or cognitive level criteria. It then argues for combining several levels in the design of research, points out the necessity of questioning whether normative social influence operates to constrain decision making in a particular situation, and outlines a procedure that involves taking each pair of adjacent levels in the hierarchy and questioning whether normative influence operates between levels in such a way that decision making at the lower level is constrained. It also points to a promising procedure for engaging in an active search for between-level influences. (GT)