Constructing Public Opinion
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: March 15, 2001
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 240
ISBN-13: 9780231117678
Subjects: Media studies; Public opinion & polls; Language Arts & Disciplines; Politics / Current Events; Politics/International Relations; Journalism; Political Process - General; Radio - General; Political Science / Government / National; Mass media and public opinion; Political psychology; Public opinion; United States
First sentence: In Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth, there are two competing kingdoms: Dictionopolis, the kingdom of words, and Digitopolis, the kingdom of numbers.
Description: Is polling a process that brings "science" into the study of society? Or are polls crude instruments that tell us little about the way people actually think? The role of public opinion polls in government and mass media has gained increasing importance with each new election or poll taken. Here Lewis presents a new look at an old tradition, the first study of opinion polls using an interdisciplinary approach combining cultural studies, sociology, political science, and mass communication. Rather than dismissing polls, he considers them to be a significant form of representation in contemporary culture; he explores how the media report on polls and, in turn, how publicized results influence the way people respond to polls. Lewis argues that the media tend to exclude the more progressive side of popular opinion from public debate. While the media's influence is limited, it works strategically to maintain the power of pro-corporate political elites.