Authors : Dr. Sanjeev Kumar

Volume/Issue : Volume 8 - 2023, Issue 12 - December

Google Scholar : http://tinyurl.com/f4vnm598

Scribd : http://tinyurl.com/mw2wwaz3

DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10441622

Abstract : The concept of public opinion, deeply rooted in historical origins and evolving through centuries, has been a subject of scholarly debate. This paper traces the historical development of the term 'public opinion' from its early connotations to its current complexities, exploring its conceptualization, evolution, and debates. Scholars' perspectives, ranging from Rousseau to Locke and anti-democratic thinkers like Plato and Aristotle constitute are discussed to understand the meaning and evolution of the term public opinion. The objective of this paper is to explore the meaning, type and essence what constitute the term ‘public’ and ‘opinion’. It majorly relies on the work of Price to understand the how the term public and opinion are constituted and evolved in the democratic societies and also distinguishes how the term opinion and attitude in the larger spectrum. Elaborating the formation of opinion this paper explores the role of schemata, values, and group identification. Furthermore, it also demonstrates the impact of immediate stimuli in social settings on the expression of opinions, highlighting the dynamic nature of opinion formation. The last part of the paper highlights conceptualization of ‘Public Opinion’, its historical and contextual evolution since 18th century and the influence of intellectuals such as Madison, Bentham, and Mill. It also emphasizes the role of American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) in the development of the discipline of public opinion across the regions in 20th century. Finally this paper highlights the relevance of public opinion research in the contemporary democratic settings and challenges in pursuing objectivity in this domain. Methodologically this paper relies on exploratory and comparative analysis.