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"The spiral of silence might be one of the forms in which public opinion appeared; it might be a process through which a new, youthful public opinion develops or whereby the transformed meaning of an old opinion spreads." [11] The American sociologist Edward Ross described public opinion in 1898 using the word "cheap". "The equation of 'public ...
In the 21st century, public opinion is widely thought to be heavily influenced by the media; many studies have been undertaken which look at the different factors which influence public opinion. Politicians and other people concerned with public opinion often attempt to influence it using advertising or rhetoric.
People reason that they help others because they like them, even if they do not, because their minds struggle to maintain logical consistency between their actions and perceptions. The Benjamin Franklin effect, in other words, is the result of one's concept of self coming under attack.
Do not use similar or related words in a way that blurs meaning or is incorrect or distorting. For example, the adjective Arab refers to people and things of ethnic Arab origin. The term Arabic generally refers to the Arabic language or writing system, and related concepts. Arabian relates to the Arabian Peninsula or historical Arabia.
In Zaller’s words, "most of what gets measured as public opinion does not exist except in the presence of a pollster". [ 2 ] In a subsequent article , Zaller backtracks from his argument in The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion and maintains that the influence elites exercise over public opinion is less than he had originally claimed.
Public Opinion is a book by Walter Lippmann published in 1922. It is a critical assessment of functional democratic government, especially of the irrational and often self-serving social perceptions that influence individual behavior and prevent optimal societal cohesion . [ 1 ]
Public opinion, he writes, is becoming more and more a matter of interest, as people seek out information about the world, and as various organizations attempt to create favorable impressions. Especially interested in public opinion are those companies—the public utilities—which especially are supposed to serve the public. (pp. 41–46)
Without being alerted to the procedure in advance, half of the participants were immediately asked to make a second, different guess in response to the same question, and the other half were asked to do this three weeks later. The average of a participant's two guesses was more accurate than either individual guess.