The Public Opinion Process

How the People Speak

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Journalism
Cover of the book The Public Opinion Process by Irving Crespi, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Irving Crespi ISBN: 9781136684883
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: November 5, 2013
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Irving Crespi
ISBN: 9781136684883
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: November 5, 2013
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

What is public opinion? How can we best study it?

This work presents a "process model" that answers these questions by defining public opinion in a way that also identifies an approach to studying it. The model serves as a framework into which the findings of empirical research are integrated, producing a comprehensive understanding of public opinion that encompasses the congeries of middle-range theories that have emerged from empirical research. The three-dimensional process model--and the way it is explicated--satisfies the diverse and sometimes divergent needs and interests of political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists, and communication specialists who study public opinion. This is achieved by clearly differentiating and interrelating the following:
* individual opinions--the judgmental outcomes of a process in which attitudinal systems--comprised of beliefs, values/interests, and feelings--function as intervening variables that direct and structure perceptions of public issues;
* collective opinions--the outcomes of communication from which mutual awareness emerges and that integrate separate individual opinions into a significant social force; and
* political roles of collective and individual opinions--the outcomes of the extent to which collective and individual opinions have achieved legitimacy as the basis for governing a people.

DON'T USE THIS PARAGRAPH FOR GENERAL CATALOGS... Each dimension of the model has its corresponding subprocess: transactions between individuals and their environments, communications among individuals and collectives, and political legitimation of public opinion. Since the process model is -- by definition -- interactional, none of the three dimensions has theoretical or sequential priority over the others. Instead of treating the psychological, political, and sociological aspects of public opinion as separate stages of an unidirectional process, the three aspects are modeled as dimensions of a complex, ongoing system in continuous interaction with each other. This conceptualization satisfies the need for a truly interdisciplinary theory in that it demands that each dimension be studied in terms of its defining sub-process. It also avoids the twin errors of reductionism and reification in the study of public opinion.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

What is public opinion? How can we best study it?

This work presents a "process model" that answers these questions by defining public opinion in a way that also identifies an approach to studying it. The model serves as a framework into which the findings of empirical research are integrated, producing a comprehensive understanding of public opinion that encompasses the congeries of middle-range theories that have emerged from empirical research. The three-dimensional process model--and the way it is explicated--satisfies the diverse and sometimes divergent needs and interests of political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists, and communication specialists who study public opinion. This is achieved by clearly differentiating and interrelating the following:
* individual opinions--the judgmental outcomes of a process in which attitudinal systems--comprised of beliefs, values/interests, and feelings--function as intervening variables that direct and structure perceptions of public issues;
* collective opinions--the outcomes of communication from which mutual awareness emerges and that integrate separate individual opinions into a significant social force; and
* political roles of collective and individual opinions--the outcomes of the extent to which collective and individual opinions have achieved legitimacy as the basis for governing a people.

DON'T USE THIS PARAGRAPH FOR GENERAL CATALOGS... Each dimension of the model has its corresponding subprocess: transactions between individuals and their environments, communications among individuals and collectives, and political legitimation of public opinion. Since the process model is -- by definition -- interactional, none of the three dimensions has theoretical or sequential priority over the others. Instead of treating the psychological, political, and sociological aspects of public opinion as separate stages of an unidirectional process, the three aspects are modeled as dimensions of a complex, ongoing system in continuous interaction with each other. This conceptualization satisfies the need for a truly interdisciplinary theory in that it demands that each dimension be studied in terms of its defining sub-process. It also avoids the twin errors of reductionism and reification in the study of public opinion.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book International Insolvency Law by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Market Expansion and Social Dumping in Europe by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book British Agriculture in the First World War (RLE The First World War) by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Religion and Irreligion in Victorian Society by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Time: A Bibliographic Guide by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Windows on Justice in Northern Iberia, 800–1000 by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Parliamentary Communication in EU Affairs by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Correspondence of Sir Isaac Newton and Professor Cotes by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book The International Politics of Mass Atrocities by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book The Works of Charles Darwin: Vol 25: The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom (1878) by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book A Behaviorist Looks at Form Recognition by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Religion in Public Spaces by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Dialectics of Knowing in Education by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Building a Validity Argument for the Test of English as a Foreign Language™ by Irving Crespi
Cover of the book Imaginary Friendship in the American Revolution by Irving Crespi
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy