Public Opinion And Mass Beliefs

Public has become more informed and consequently more proactive in matters that have wide ranging impact and does not hesitate in participating actively in voicing their opinion. Social scientists and the market have taken due cognizance of this fact and they have tried to exploit it by conducting public opinion poll on issues which best serve their individual interests.

These surveys have become a common platform to demonstrate mass acceptance of ideas and issues by vested interests. The onslaught of these public opinion polls in various media has put a big question on their veracity and validity and subsequently on the issues that they represent. So much so that it has become important to know how trustworthy these surveys are, which are supposed to reflect public opinion at large?

It is important to understand that these surveys are conducted on small percentage of population on a random basis. The data thus collected is then extrapolated scientifically and then generalized as the opinion of the masses. The larger the size of the differential sample, higher is the accuracy.

Thus public opinion polls have become important tool in marketing strategies. They are widely used before launching new products and services. Political parties and public forums conduct these polls on regular basis to gauge the popularity of their leaders and policies. Governments too, the world over, have come to rely on these polls before formulating important policy decisions which have direct impact on the public. When Napoleon Bonaparte said that “public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly consult”, he was aware of the power of public opinion and constantly worked towards improving it.

Public opinion surveys, today, have become an integral part of our day to day life. It therefore, becomes all the more important to emphasise how these polls are conducted. “One major distinguishing difference between scientific and unscientific polls is who picks the respondents for the survey. In a scientific poll, the pollster identifies and seeks out the people to be interviewed. In an unscientific poll, the respondents usually "volunteer" their opinions, selecting themselves for the poll.

When these surveys are conducted by specialized agencies like Gallup who apply complex scientific methodology on the sample data, and come up with certain results, they have proven rate of accuracy. The more the variety within the sample and larger the database, higher is the accuracy rate. This being the basis of the polls conducted, it is no wonder that more and more people and organisation are putting their faith on these surveys!
On the other hand, when Adolf Hitler said that “All effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands -what you want him to understand”, he was aware of human psychology where public reactions can be manipulated to suit the vested interest of the few. Clearly, attitude and behavioural pattern often determine the actions of the individuals. It is also a fact that the general public has short span of memory especially where opinion polls are concerned. So when an emotionally charged hype, on certain issue is created and then opinion poll is conducted, it becomes difficult to come to a correct conclusion. Benjamin Disraeli rightly said that “what we call as public opinion is generally a public sentiment”. It is equally true that events have dramatic impact on the poll results. This is especially true in the case of political polls. We cannot help but agree that, even though the public is always gullible but if they are well informed, it becomes much more difficult to sway them against their convictions.

Kate Gardens is a custom essay writing expert writer and UK customers support consultant at Customessays.co.uk. Get more details for psychology essay writing.

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Kate Gardens is a custom essay writing expert writer and UK customers support consultant at Customessays.co.uk. Get more details for psychology dissertation and find essay topics for essays.

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