Introduction

The root of the word "public opinion" is veiled in secrecy. Parallel expressions were used by
the Greeks and the Romans. However, the Romans viewed public opinion in the legal sense
as a contrast from the present political context. In the Middle Ages, the proverb "Vox populi,
vox dei" also gathered popularity. In Machiavelli's remarks, too, the voice of the people was
likened to the voice of God. The term public opinion was later incorporated into the language
of European politics by France in its present context as an institution for the conditioning of
public policy. On the eve of the French Revolution, Jean Jacques Rousseau was probably the
first to use it. The literature in democracy today practically symbolizes the rationalization of
political behaviour in terms of public opinion. To cite MacIver, "This incessant activity of
popular opinion is the dynamic of democracy."

Nature of Public Opinion

In recent years, the definition of public opinion has been subject to rigorous study in the area
of political science. Nevertheless, there is no universal consensus as to its definition or
purpose and, in the absence of analytical clarification, the discourse on its existence has,
according to Sait, "often introduce confusion rather than enlighten."

In the wake of democracy, the notion of public opinion has come to the fore. Governmental
policies increasingly became the feature of opinion rather than coercion, and the means for
expressions of opinion, such as constitutionally protected freedoms, elections, political
parties, etc., were at hand, usually understanding the importance of public opinion in
governance. Therefore, the philosophy of popular opinion as a means of government is a
derivative of democracy.

The general premise on which the concept is based is:

1. The government is interested in the public;

2. The public knows what it desires;

3. The willingness of the public to express what it wishes;

4. The will of the public would be passed into legislation.

How can public opinion be established in compliance with such conditions? In order to
proceed Finer, one of the three items is meant to mean most concepts of public opinion:

1. A Record of Fact. Opinion, as a record of fact, means such a clear assertion as 'a super-
bomb has been exploded in the Soviet Union.'

2. A Belief. Opinion, as a belief, not only means a record of evidence but also their valuation.
It also includes a prophecy on the course of events in the future. The expression,' There will
be no war on the topic of Berlin,' highlights the case.

3. A Will. Opinion as a will is not simply a record and evaluation of facts; it also asserts a
course of action. For instance, when we ask,' India is supposed to go to war with Pakistan
over the issue of Azad Kashmir-yes or no? We say that taking a course of action is
worthwhile. Public opinion is meant to create a concrete governmental strategy in the area of
political dynamics. Therefore, as Finer says, "Politics is most concrete with public opinion as
will which, typically eventuates in a statue and in administration."

Meaning of Public Opinion

Public opinion means the public's thoughts and opinions on a specific subject. Any person
has the right to share his or her opinions on any topic that is related to him or her, and public
sentiment is not only limited to political issues, but also to social issues. A regular social
decision cannot be made without the public. It is the common view of the citizens of a society
or state on a problem or issue, consisting of the expectations, wishes and thinking of the
majority of people. Over the years, conflicting understandings of public sentiment have taken
form, particularly as politics, trade, religion, and social activism have been applied to modern
methods of measuring public opinion.1

In a democracy, public opinion is important because the government cannot determine how to
proceed on public issues without public opinion, most of the issues of a country are public-
related, and it makes sense to take public opinion when we talk about public opinion, the first
thing that comes to our mind is public people and how they talk about public speaking is
really important.2

1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_opinion
2
https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-opinion
Public sentiment is also made concrete by asking in the polling. Politics regularly cite public
opinion polling to justify their approval or opposition to public policy. Candidates creatively
leverage public opinion to establish themselves as front-runners or underdogs in campaigns.
Political groups and political parties use public opinion polling to further their causes. The
mass media also incorporated public polling polls into a news article on democracy and
politics.3

The position of opinion in the government is usually decided upon. As Bryce puts it,
"Opinion has really been the chief and ultimate power in nearly all time Governments have
always rested and, special cases apart, must rest, if not on the affection, then on the silent
acquiescence, of the numerical majority". In non-democratic societies, citizens agree or give
passive consent to authority out of reverence, practice of obedience, or fear of repression. But
the defining characteristic of democracy is that the power of government is created,
governed, and conditioned by the power of active public opinion.

Jurists about Public Opinion

The Greeks started the endeavour. In his Politeia, Aristotle measured in optimistic terms the
political competence of the masses. The theory that the majority should be supreme requires
"an element of truth." Therefore, many are better judges, because some understand one part
and another; and they understand the whole among them.

The Romans did not use the term "public opinion" but they knew the concept so well that
they dealt through it as if it were something that was self-evident. In classical terminology,
different facets of public opinion appear: fama, public reputatio, rumor, vox populi,
consensus gentium, the latter as a basis for legal and political sovereignty. The well-known
saying, vox populi, vox Dei of medieval origin.

Hobbes declared that "they truly and properly state that opinion governs the world." Three
types of laws were distinguished by Locke: divine law, civil law and "the law of opinion or
reputation." And Hume argued that "all, while despotic, regimes are founded on opinion.

With Rousseau, a true breakthrough arrived. In his first discussion of the volonté générale,
he concluded that "the most general will is also the most just" and that God's voice is the
voice of the people. He pays homage to the influence of choice in his most important work

3
http://open.lib.umn.edu/americangovernment/chapter/7-1-what-is-public-opinion
Du contrat social (1762). He wrote: "Indeed, the most fundamental of all laws is that of
opinion, whatever the form of government. Political, civil and criminal laws are based upon
it”.

In his works, Jacques Necker, Louis XVI's finance minister, explored in depth the essence
and importance of public opinion as a force in statecraft. He argued that public opinion
enhances or weakens all human institutions. Through their political undertakings, just fools,
pure thinkers, or apprentices in moral philosophy neglect to take popular sentiment into
account. There should be a mention of: C. "M. Wieland, referred to as the "German Voltaire,"
who talks of it as "an opinion that takes hold of several heads without being noticed"; J. Fries,
who sees the foundation of the rule of law in public opinion within the state; F.Ancillon, who
sees public opinion as "the primary source in the political world"; and C.von Gersdorf, who,
in Über den Begriff und das Wesen der öffentlichen Meinung (1846), offers a rather detailed
examination of public opinion during the first half of the 19th century by analysing, among
other things, its relation to the sovereignty of law.

In his works, J. Bentham (1748-1832) emphasized the value of public opinion as an agent of
social control. "Public opinion," he said, by definition, "may be considered as a system of law
emanating from the human body." In the newspaper press, he recognized the most significant
influence in the creation and expression of public opinion.

Why public opinion matters in a country?

Since people banded together, the people has held viewpoints, but it was only recently that
we started to compile people's thoughts in order to get a clearer understanding of their
interests. This has become particularly significant in democracy where popular can decide
who leads each country. Thus, public opinion, as assessed by the polling, is particularly
significant during the electoral campaign, not just to attempt to determine which candidate
will prevail, but most specifically, which of their ideologies or strategies are more in line with
the desires and preferences of their electorate.

Beyond elections, public opinion is extremely significant for governance. For example, the
change in cultural views towards gay marriage in the United States has allowed the Obama
administration to promote its nationwide legalization. Likewise, fears of immigrants in
Europe have contributed to the emergence of nationalist groups.
Public opinion should not be the sole factor of policy making. Sometimes there are transitions
in points of view that are abrupt and short-lived, and other times there are fixed preferences
that are clearly not realistic; none of these can serve as the basis for governance. For example,
when one polls public opinion on taxes, it is almost inevitable that most people would see
their charges as unfair, whether they are high or low as calculated by objective standards. But
a country cannot work without funding, so most prudent governments will fight public
opinion on this matter and will try to compel their people to contribute to public finances.

Apart from the political and legislative point of view, public opinion is also concerned with
social problems relevant to the benefit of the public.

Agencies for the Formation of Public Opinion

Opinions on political topics are slowly being created. As Bryce points out, the common
people have no involvement in the affairs of the state. Some of the agencies are expected to
excite them. Of these departments, the following are of particular importance;

1. Press

Almost everybody has to count on the newspaper for the information important to the
formation of popular opinion. As the newspapers are available at a very cheap price, their
effect on opinion-forming, with the spread of mass education, has risen by leaps and bounds.
Most newspapers report information of legislative debates, speeches by notable people,
declarations by governments and parties, and numerous other news. Not all of them are
political, but political facts are definitely the best for consumption. So every newspaper takes
care to compile political news and make tasty dishes out of it. The representation of facts is
not the only function; they are often represented and systematized in a specific manner by the
newspapers. About every article has 'tendency and dogma.' They are highlighted in the
editorial columns. Even the way in which news flashes in the headlines or elsewhere in the
columns betrays the unique character of a newspaper. Reading the news avidly, the readers
come to associate themselves with a single paper. Grievances are ventilated and viewpoints
shared by the public through the newspapers. For this reason, most papers earmark a few
columns to their general readers. News and opinions don't necessarily go unheeded. The
government takes notice of them and closely observes the popular response to their actions in
the mirror of the newspapers.
However, the press is not free from flaws. In fact, it is often noticed that now-a-days the
newspapers have only one task. They are engaged in the unceasing role of keeping a certain
type of readers on whom they rely for patronage. To win the favour of the readers, all
conceivable forms and means are adopted. Thus, each newspaper produces its own devotees
who worship it on the assumed assumption that the good is delivered to them. Another major
argument against newspapers is that their publication has been big business; and the
'capitalist class' largely owns and operates it, the expression of an 'uncomfortable alliance
between big business and society itself'. The sum of genuinely true information and balanced
opinion, as finer points out, is, on the whole, minimal, and the press has gained an
exceptional dominance over opinion, worsening rather than fixing its flaws.

For the shaping of public opinion and the preservation of freedom, the free press is definitely
an invaluable agency. But it spells real danger as it ceases to being an open space for the
expression of all shades of opinion and is turned into a tool of big business. The cure,
however, does not lie in governmental intervention. For, as sorry correctly points out, "giving
power to censor fact and opinion would draw all the power-hungry elements in the
community into a struggle to get control of the government. Democracy needs press, but it
cannot be found through governmental regulation of the press." That will, in fact, pave the
way for the rise of dictatorship. The remedy, if any, can therefore be found only in the
inculcation of sound education that will enable individuals to prefer the goods and reject the
evil.

2. Cinema and Radio

The motion picture and the radio are significant institutions for the communication of ideas.
Newspapers can only affect educated individuals. But the cinema and the radio will affect
even the illiterate because of the audio-visual technique. Such media are very helpful in
promoting mass education in developing countries like India, where illiteracy is prominent.
For example, cinema has remained a medium of amusement almost entirely. It primarily
serves commercial rather than educational interests, since it is privately owned. However,
cinema can also be seen as a medium of schooling and opinion creation through the
production of strong documentaries and other educational films.
The radio, too, deals largely with the role of entertainment. It is, therefore, an important aid
for disseminating information and for formulating opinions. Some observers have also gone
so far as to say that the direct interaction between political leaders and supporters which
characterizes Athenian democracy has been re-established by radio. However, in most
countries, such as India, the radio is under government regulation. Therefore, it has also been
denounced that the radio has represented only the party of power. Yet, as Finer points out,
"on the whole, no country - whether, as in England, broadcasting by private enterprise, is
really exploiting the educative potentialities of radio on the grand scale which is possible."

3. Political Parties

The political parties are the most important organization for the creation of opinions. To use
the often-quoted expression of Lowell, the parties are the brokers of ideas. Day after day,
they feed people with information and suggestions. Their only aim is to mobilize people to
their side. They want to gain a majority in the legislature and keep the reins of government.
As a result, the parties 'arrange the issue on which the voters are to vote.' They canvass their
point of view, nurse the electoral districts, and put up candidates. People build the back bone
of democracy. The useful support given by the parties is that they are organising people and
allowing them to choose between alternatives. Various allegations have been levied against
political parties. Their honesty and effectiveness has often been doubted. Without them,
however, public opinion, which is the prime mover of representative government, can never
be formulated and used properly.

4. Platform.

Platforms are very useful for educating people and formulating opinion forums. Any
democratic government thus ensures the right to freedom of assembly. The speeches made in
public forums often leave an indelible mark on the minds of the audience. All types of oral
skills are used to persuade the public mind. A Brutus can gain temporary respect, and an
Antony, a permanent renown. However, the mechanism of public thinking on critical political
issues is put in motion by influential political leaders.

5. Educational Institutions
Educational institutions are of considerable significance in the development of public
opinion. The manner in which students are educated in schools, colleges and universities has
a huge effect on the future course of their lives. The theories established in the early years
condition the student's perspective. These courses are designed to inspire and raise interest.
But a system of schooling that robs students of their open-mindedness and drugs them with
the amount of political half-truths is definitely injurious.

Role of Media and Social Networking in the creation of Public Opinion

It must be acknowledged that the role of mass media in influencing public opinion can be
both positive and negative. Every coin has two sides to it; sometimes the controversies
created by the media can serve to give momentum to a cause for good, but sometimes they
can prove to be negative. For example, if a local social campaign attracts mainstream
coverage at the national level, it may have an effect on a larger scale that was not initially
expected from it.

The Agenda-setting media theory plays a significant role in influencing opinions.4 There are
two facets of this agenda-setting theory, i.e., first, television doesn't reveal reality, but reality
is filtered and coloured before being telecasted. Second, it is not necessary for the media to
demonstrate what is more important than a focus on a few topics, which in turn causes the
audience to behave as though they are the only important problems to be discussed.5

Now, these things do not have to be presented as good or poor on their own, certain topics are
more important than others are not something that should concern the person, so if the viewer
needs to be told of the other issues, it is a decision that they have to make.

The function of mass media, including social networking platforms, is much more important
where there is no clear experience or expertise on a particular issue. In such a case, what the
public has is what the media is presenting, where there is no means to cross-check, which
gives them the benefit of doubt. And where other sources are available to validate, what
makes it easy to influence public opinion according to the agenda-setting is the growing
tendency of people to believe in everything they see out there.

4
McCombs & Reynolds, 'News influence on our pictures of the world', Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Publishers, 2002, pp. 1-18
5
Dearing & Rogers, 'Agenda-setting research: Where has it been, where is it going?', Vol. 11, Communication
Yearbook Journal, 1988, pp. 555–594
The crucial role played by mass media in influencing opinion can be well understood by
looking at the example of China. The Chinese Government has complete control of what is
being shown to its people. From television to the internet, the government decides what its
citizens need to watch and what they don't need.

The Chinese people are not free to post on the Internet according to their whims and fancies,
and what is worse is that it is not even considered to be infringing their right to speech. This
obviously illustrates how the government is attempting to restrict the freedom of the press
and the media from influencing any sort of public opinion that goes against the government.

Significance of Public Opinion:

1. Public opinion is a crucial factor in the efficient operation of political communication

in the system. Public opinion is the manifestation of the views of the people. No
government can continue to overlook that.
2. A sound and efficient public opinion avoids the structures of the dictators. The power
of the democratic system rests in the respect of the people's decisions. There should
be a free and fair interaction of ideas to address collective problems.
3. Public opinion is of considerable significance in the implementation of this
democratic objective. It encourages greater understanding and allows people to
discuss problems from various points of view.
4. Public opinion serves as a guide to the formulation of policies by the government.
Government operates generally on the basis of the mandate obtained in the elections
and aims to win over the masses in order to meet the commitments made during the
elections.
5. Government is always under the burden of public opinion and takes care of the same
in the formulation of common good legislation. Government policies are invariably
influenced by people's views on different topics. Popular opinion allows the
government to pass laws in a given case.
6. Public opinion is serving as a watchdog. It regulates and controls the government
from being reckless. Although condemning the government's incorrect decisions,
public opinion is always warning to the government.
7. Public opinion serves as a defender of the rights and liberties of people. Citizens in a
democratic country have the freedom to oppose or support the government in their
 own way. More successful and constructive use of this right not only inspires or
motivates the government, but also keeps the government alive to the rights and
freedoms of the people.

How public opinion influences policy

Representation is largely dependent on a reactive public who tracks and reacts to what the
government is doing. There is no value of policies where the electorate is not attentive and
uninformed about their desires. Public opinion on policy is very important for the expression
of the democratic system as part of the representation itself. A quick-response public acts like
a thermostat as it changes its expectations for more or less policy based on what policy
makers do. State governments should create policy outputs that represent public and
coordinated interests. Interest groups can also participate in a variety of roles, either as public
or client representatives, as political information brokers or as policy experts. Popular opinion
should be given greater weight in policy-making as the public's attitude is effectively
expressed by the use of interest group events. The Interest Group acts as a proxy of people's
moods in their own policy goals. Population-based approximations have been used, but their
results have been difficult to stem from the split effects of socio-economic factors. According
to Daniel (2005) in the last 15 years, new indicators of public opinion sponsored by a group
of disaggregated national surveys have revealed a good correlation between public policy,
open-mindedness and public opinion. Interest groups and the general public have an
important role to play in shaping bureaucratic decision-making. The administrations' political
circumstances, for example, party control of nation's council and governorship, along with
party rivalry with the state, is additionally a strategy determinant.

Gathering rivalry inside the state as an administration political condition influences public
arrangement and hence influences public opinion. The competitiveness of the party would
build a strong public agenda and public opinion. The conditions of the external State are also
determinants of public policy, which can include population indicators, economic and
geographical conditions. For example, wealthier nations typically have more money to invest
on environmental programs and are more likely to respond to higher tax rises when their
higher income approaches the threshold to cover more basic needs. Higher income levels
have an encouraging environmental policy relationship.

Relationship between Law and Public Opinion

There is a strong connection between the legislation and the public opinion. Laws, in
democracy, are profoundly ingrained in public opinion. In these days of democracy, the
legislative assembly, the body of people's representatives, is the most important source of
legislation. This body represents the will of the public. It is clear that the people do not
actually pass the rules, but we do not ignore that they elect their representatives to the
legislature. Their representative should not, and must not, go against the wishes of the people
who are the electors.

If individuals or electors wish those statutes to be repealed or changed, their representatives

do what is required. It is very evident in this sense that there is a near affinity between public
opinion and the law, since the law reflects the will of the people. Laws are a matter of public
opinion.

Laws that are endorsed by popular opinion are not successful and are hardly obeyed by the
people. For example, after the Chinese aggression against India in 1962, the Government of
India enacted two laws: the Compulsory Deposit Scheme and the Gold Control Rules.
Needless to say, these laws were not supported by public opinion.

As a result, citizens organized protests against these rules. In the end, the Government of
India had to change these rules. If such laws are not framed, citizens can reserve the right to
participate in peaceful demonstrations.

It is also very clear that there is a close relationship between legislation and public opinion.
Before coming at any inference, it would be better for us to consider the word public opinion.
By public opinion, we mean the opinion shared by citizens for the general good.

Thus, the social good and the popular interests of the people are the key concerns of public
opinion, and they are expressed in the statute. According to P. S. Mathur, "law should not be
firmly rooted in public opinion, but should be a little ahead of it"