A study was conducted to determine which contemporary and anticipated societal problems may be amenable to treatment with the aid of communication resources. This paper first discusses the initial phase of the study, in which a search was conducted to determine the social science rationale for societal problem research, evidence of previous analyses of societal problems, and the usefulness of the Delphi method in accomplishing the study's objectives. It then describes the use of the Delphi method in obtaining communication scholars' responses to the following questions: Which societal problems are perceived as having a high priority? Are priority assessments changed when problems are viewed interdependently instead of independently? Does the communication field have current or future resources that can be applied toward the solution of priority problems? The paper then presents a series of tables that synthesize the respondents' perceptions of problem importance and the susceptibility of specific problems to the efforts of communication scholars. (GW)