Definition and characteristics of public opinion
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DEFINITION OF PUBLIC OPINION :
Most people say their favorite color is blue. Most people say their least favorite color is brown. So, public opinion is that blue is pretty and brown is ugly, right? Public opinion is an expression of the general population's thoughts on a particular issue. Instead of saying 'Jane's opinion' or 'John's opinion,' we say 'public opinion' in order to represent a common, or popular, opinion on a particular issue.
Characteristics of Public Opinion:
(i) Public opinion is concerned with a matter of public importance. It is not concerned with the interests of a particular group of people.
(ii) Public opinion is for social welfare. The welfare of society is an essential characteristic of public opinion.
(iii) Public opinion is arrived at after careful thought. It is the tentative deliberative adjustment of public to a situation. It is a logical view of things. While Lasswell holds that all opinions involve a choice between different views which may be rationally held, Kimball Young, on the other hand, is of the view that an opinion may be rational, or based upon some conviction, or it may proceed from feeling and emotion.
(iv) It is cooperative product. It is the product of interaction of human minds.
(v) Public opinion is related to a particular age or times. It is to be evaluated in the context of a particular situation.
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(vi) Public opinion has a cultural base. The culture of a society influences public opinion.
(vii) Lastly, numbers are not necessary to constitute public opinion. The opinion of even a single person may be called public opinion though not held by the majority. The opinion of Mahatma Gandhi, though held by him alone, could be rightly called public opinion. However, the opinion held by a minority must be shared by the majority not by force but by conviction.
The majority while not actually holding it must be convinced that it is for the social good. As one writer puts it, “A majority is not enough and 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.” From the behaviouristic point of view the question of unanimity or majority consent is of no immediate importance in defining public opinion.
So 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 to acquiesce. It is composite opinion, a sort of synthetic average formed out of all the different opinions actually held by the public.
It grows out of the interaction of various shades in the position of pros and cons. Bryce says, Some currents develop more strength than others, because they have behind them large numbers or more intensity of conviction, and when one is evidently the strongest, it begins to be called public opinion par excellence being taken to embody the views supposed to be held by the bulk of the people. It is, as Ginsberg puts it, “a co-operative product.” Being a co-operative product, “it does represent the entire public as it is being mobilized to act on the issue….public opinion is always moving towards a decision even though it never is unanimous
I hope this finds you helpful..Thanks
Most people say their favorite color is blue. Most people say their least favorite color is brown. So, public opinion is that blue is pretty and brown is ugly, right? Public opinion is an expression of the general population's thoughts on a particular issue. Instead of saying 'Jane's opinion' or 'John's opinion,' we say 'public opinion' in order to represent a common, or popular, opinion on a particular issue.
Characteristics of Public Opinion:
(i) Public opinion is concerned with a matter of public importance. It is not concerned with the interests of a particular group of people.
(ii) Public opinion is for social welfare. The welfare of society is an essential characteristic of public opinion.
(iii) Public opinion is arrived at after careful thought. It is the tentative deliberative adjustment of public to a situation. It is a logical view of things. While Lasswell holds that all opinions involve a choice between different views which may be rationally held, Kimball Young, on the other hand, is of the view that an opinion may be rational, or based upon some conviction, or it may proceed from feeling and emotion.
(iv) It is cooperative product. It is the product of interaction of human minds.
(v) Public opinion is related to a particular age or times. It is to be evaluated in the context of a particular situation.
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(vi) Public opinion has a cultural base. The culture of a society influences public opinion.
(vii) Lastly, numbers are not necessary to constitute public opinion. The opinion of even a single person may be called public opinion though not held by the majority. The opinion of Mahatma Gandhi, though held by him alone, could be rightly called public opinion. However, the opinion held by a minority must be shared by the majority not by force but by conviction.
The majority while not actually holding it must be convinced that it is for the social good. As one writer puts it, “A majority is not enough and 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.” From the behaviouristic point of view the question of unanimity or majority consent is of no immediate importance in defining public opinion.
So 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 to acquiesce. It is composite opinion, a sort of synthetic average formed out of all the different opinions actually held by the public.
It grows out of the interaction of various shades in the position of pros and cons. Bryce says, Some currents develop more strength than others, because they have behind them large numbers or more intensity of conviction, and when one is evidently the strongest, it begins to be called public opinion par excellence being taken to embody the views supposed to be held by the bulk of the people. It is, as Ginsberg puts it, “a co-operative product.” Being a co-operative product, “it does represent the entire public as it is being mobilized to act on the issue….public opinion is always moving towards a decision even though it never is unanimous
I hope this finds you helpful..Thanks
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Public opinion comprises of the motives, desires, and beliefs of the majority of the population. It is the common belief of the people of a community or country on a concern or predicament.
i) Public opinion is associated with a subject of public interest. It is not associated with the advantages of a special group of people.
(ii) Public opinion important for human welfare. The progress of the community is a fundamental component of public opinion.
(iii) It is the collective outcome. It is the result of the interaction of human intelligence.
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