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.
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.
