PUBLIC OPINION PART - I

Dr, Kaushik Mitra, Head, Department of Political Science, Lucknow Christian Degree College, Lucknow.. U.P. India.

B. A. Semester-II

Political Science -Paper I

POLITICAL THEORY-II

PUBLIC OPINION

Introduction:

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 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.”

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 hold 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.”

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.”

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.

Meaning of Public Opinion:

Public opinion cannot be defined precisely. We are to know it rather loosely. It is an opinion of the people in general on the question of public interest. It is not the opinion of the majority. There is also no insistence on the unanimity. If the subject-matter of the opinion espoused by the

majority is to further the selfish gains there is no public opinion involved in it. It also needs the support of the minority.

In other words, it may be the opinion of the majority but the minority should be in a position to accept it. This has been rightly stated by A. L. Lowell, “Public opinion is the opinion held by the majority and passively acquiesced in by the minority.”

If the opinion of the majority is directly opposed by the minority, it cannot be public opinion. If the opinion is detrimental to the interest of one class or at the cost of one community, it is not public opinion. The aim of the public opinion must be of common good. It may be the opinion of the most intelligent section of the people but it must be in a position to do general welfare for all.

So it is said that the public opinion is the opinion of the right-minded citizens if it succeeds in winning the support and acceptance of a general body of citizens.

Public opinion is the measure of what the public thinks about a particular issue, party, or individual political figure. Historically, it's been pretty difficult to accurately measure what the public thinks about a particular issue. However, most forms of democracy are based on the understanding that the government will function with the interests of their people in mind. We can find an acknowledgment of the people's role in many historical documents, including the Constitution of India & U.S.A, which begins with the phrase 'We, the People.'

Where Does Public Opinion Come From?

There's a lot of things that come into play when discussing how people form opinions. Developing your opinions about issues affecting the world around you is a lifelong process that social scientists call ‘Political Socialization’. You'll have different life factors than everyone else, but for most people, factors like family beliefs, peer beliefs, education, religious beliefs, and media depictions have the greatest impact on their political opinions.

The primacy tendency, or the theory that impressions acquired during childhood are the most long-lasting and influential, guides many studies of public opinion. For example, if your parents or other authority figures, like teachers, regularly included you in patriotic activities, social scientists would conclude that you are more likely to be patriotic and supportive of government and Nation as an adult.

TO BE CONTINUED.....................