Public Opinion

The word public is generally used to refer to a large group of people. It is sometimes used as synonymous with crowd. The members of the public need not collect together in one place. They may be dispersed and not know each other. According to Parker and Anderson a public is that form of collectivity that includes a number of dispersed and non-organized individuals who are faced with an issue about which there may be differences of opinion.

According to Kimball Young,” An opinion is a belief somewhat stronger or more intense than a mere notion or impression but less stronger than positive knowledge based on complete or adequate proof. Opinions are really beliefs that one held on issues. Opinion implies careful thought and consideration. It is based on some kind of information or evidence. It is not necessary that opinion should always be correct.

According to John Dewey public opinion is judgment that is formed and entertained by those who constitute the public and is about public affairs. Morris Ginsberg says by public opinion is meant the mass of ideas and judgments operative in a community which are more or less definitely formulated and have a certain stability and are felt by the people who entertain or hold them to be social in the sense that they are result of many minds acting in common.

Public opinion is concerned with a matter of public importance .It is not concerned with the interests of a particular group of people. Public opinion is for social welfare. The welfare of society is an essential characteristic of public opinion. Public opinion is arrived at after careful thought. It is the tentative deliberative adjustment of public to a situation. It is the logical view of things. It is a cooperative product. Public opinion is related to a particular age or times. It is to be evaluated in the context of a particular situation. Public opinion has a cultural base. The culture of a society influences public opinion.

The Public

The word public is generally used to refer to a large group of people. It is sometimes used as synonymous with crowd. The members of the public need not collect together in one place. They may be dispersed and not know each other. According to Anderson and Parker a public is that form of collectivity which includes a number of dispersed and non-organized individuals who are faced with an issue about which there may be differences of opinion.

According to Kimball Young public refers to a rather loosely organized and conjoined grouping of people with a common interest. Ginsberg defines public as an unorganized and amorphous aggregation of individuals who are bound together by common opinion and desires but are too numerous for each to maintain personal relations with the others.

The public is an aggregation of persons, moving in a common universe of discourse, confronted by an issue or a value divided in their opinion regarding ways to meet the issue or to appraise the value and engaging in discussion.

The Opinion

According to Kimball Young an opinion is a belief somewhat stronger or more intense than a mere notion or impression but less strong than positive knowledge based on complete or adequate proof.Opinions is really a belief about some serious topic. Opinion implies careful thought and consideration. It is founded on some kind of information or evidence. It is not necessary that opinion should always be correct.

According to John Dewey public opinion is judgement which is formed and entertained by those who constitute the public and is about public affairs. Morris Ginberg says by public opinion is meant the mass of ideas and judgements operative in a community which are more or less definitely formulated and have a certain stability and are felt by the people who entertain or hold them to be social in the sense that they are a result of many minds acting in common. James T Young writes public opinion is a social judgment of a self-conscious community on a question of general importance after rational public discussion.

Main features of Public Opinion

Following are the features of Public Opinion

Public opinion is concerned with a matter of public importance. It is not concerned with the interests of particular group of people.

Public opinion is for social welfare. The welfare of society is an essential characteristic of public opinion.

Public opinion is arrived at after careful thought. It is the tentative deliberative adjustment of public to a situation. It is the logical view of things. Kimball Young is of the view that an opinion maybe rational or based upon some conviction or it may proceed from feeling and emotion.

It is the product of interaction of human minds.

Public opinion is related to a particular age or times .it is to be evaluated in the context of a particular situation.

Public opinion has a cultural base. The culture of a society influences public opinion.

Numbers are not necessary to constitute public opinion. A majority is not enough an unanimity is not required but the opinion must be such that while the minority may not share it they feel bound by conviction not by fear to accept it.

Public opinion may be defined as the opinion of the people held by them on any issue for the welfare of the whole community .It is a collective product. It is an opinion in which the public finds itself for any reason constrained. Public opinion is always moving toward a decision even though it never is unanimous.

The formation of Public Opinion

There are three stages in the formation of public opinion-The rise of an issue-discussion and proposed solutions and arrival at a consensus. As soon as a public issue emerges there is usually a preliminary phase of discussion. The issue is defined and a hope is expressed for its solution. Later as a discussion continues those concerned express their own views on the issue and propose various and often divergent solutions through letters, petitions, memoranda etc.In the course of time we pass on the third stage when opinion begins to crystallize and people began to take sides.

The formation of public opinion depends upon a number of factors. Symbols play a most important role in the process of forming opinions. Symbols are combination of words, personalities, music, drama and other such devices that make an impression upon the masses. They may be slogans or they may be factors linked to popular sentiments which arouse the imagination and cause individuals to respond readily as democracy,liberty,red,fair deal, pearl harbour.

All these are omnibus words or symbols carrying vague general meanings but which have specific meanings for particular groups. They are appealing symbols, devices to reduce discussion through associating an idea with a good or bad subject and thus to get the individual to approve or reject a proposal without examining the evidence. These words move the people and lead them to action.

Symbols are more effective with people whose basic predispositions are already in tune with the propaganda themes. Thus people with conservative predispositions would be less liberal than those with liberal predispositions. The formation of opinion tends in large measures to be the result of the previous experiences and attitudes. A large number of people are indifferent to public affairs. They have little leisure time for consideration of public affairs. They usually accept ready-made opinion from others. Though they neither make opinion as thinkers nor help to mould it as critics they swell its volume. Thus the opinion which originates with the few is communicated to the many who transform it into public opinion. The continuous advocacy of the opinion by the minority group leads the majority to believe that the opinion may be fairly universal and adopt it as their own and thus a public opinion is formed.

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