UID:
edocfu_9959227203202883
Format:
1 online resource (viii, 112 pages).
Edition:
1st ed.
ISBN:
1-4833-2606-3
,
1-4522-4615-7
Series Statement:
Communication concepts,
Content:
Public opinion - is it a simple aggregation of individual views, or is it some kind of collective-level, emergent product of debate? What is the role of public opinion in popular government? How do the mass media shape public opinion or link it with governmental decision-making? This book explores such questions by tracing the historical development and application of the concept of public opinion.
Note:
Cover; Contents; Foreword; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1 - Introduction; Outline of the Volume; Chapter 2 - Problems of Public Opinion; Origins of the Idea; Anticipations and Approximations; Early Conceptions of Opinion; Early Conceptions of Public; The Birth of Public Opinion; Emergence of a Public Sphere; Ambiguities in the Meaning of Public Opinion; Public Opinion and Majority Rule; Public Opinion as an Object of Study; Enduring Problems of Public Opinion; Lack of Competence; Lack of Resources; Tyranny of the Majority; Susceptibility to Persuasion; Domination by Elites
,
Chapter 3 - Conceptualizing the Public; Crowd, Public, and Mass; The Crowd; The Public; The Mass; Issues and Publics; Phases of Development; Actors and Spectators; Expanding Public Debate; After an Issue is Resolved; Observing the Public; The General Public; The Voting Public; The Attentive Public; The Active Public; Issue Publics; Chapter 4 - Conceptualizing Opinions; Opinions and Attitudes; Opinions as Expressions; Opinions as Thoughtful; Opinions as Adaptations of Attitudes to Specific Issues; Inferring Psychological Bases for Opinions; Schemata; Values; Group Identifications
,
Forming Opinions; Observing Opinions; What is it about?; What are the Choices?; Is it Well Considered?; How Well Organized?; How Strongly Held?; How does it Relate to Other People?; Chapter 5 - Conceptualizing Public Opinion Processes; Collective and Individual Aspects; The Notion of Public Debate; Dynamics of Group Decision Making; Public Debate in Larger Social Settings; Political Actors, Journalists, and the Attentive Public; Public as Spectator; The Roles Played by Journalists; Observing Public Opinion; Using Survey Data; Using Content Analysis; Using Less-Structured Survey Techniques; Observing the Process of Public Debate; Conclusion: Public Opinion as a Communication Concept; References; Author Index; About the Author
Additional Edition:
ISBN 1-322-41511-0
Additional Edition:
ISBN 0-8039-4023-8
Language:
English
