Public Opinion

Public opinion is the aggregate of the views men hold regarding the matters that affect the State. Some scholars perceive public opinion as unanimity, but it does not actually mean unanimity because it is often always difficult to have unanimity on fundamental issues. This book clearly explains the features of public opinion. It analyzes the functions of public opinion. It appraises the factors that lead to the formation of an opinion. It evaluates how public opinion can be measured through the newspapers, magazines, radios, televisions, opinion polls, elections, referendums and plebiscites. It lays emphasis on the media of expressing an opinion like the mass media and social media. It throws light on the merits and demerits of these media. It sheds light on the constitutional grounds for expressing an opinion. And it explores the factors that are considered by an opinion leader when he chooses the media of expressing his opinion.