Public opinion: meaning, formation and measurement: WASSCE Government

When fuel prices rise, the anger is heard everywhere: in poda-podas, at market stalls, on radio phone-in programmes and on WhatsApp. If enough people share the same view, government feels the pressure. This shared view is public opinion. In a democracy, leaders who ignore it risk losing the next election. This lesson explains what public opinion is, how it is formed and measured, and why it matters.

Learning objectives

By the end of this lesson you should be able to:

define public opinion and state its features
explain the agents that form public opinion
describe the methods of measuring public opinion
explain the importance of public opinion in a democracy
state the factors that limit its influence

What is public opinion?

Definition

Public opinion is the collective view or attitude of a large section of the public on an issue of public concern, such as a government policy, a law or the performance of leaders.

Features:

It concerns public issues, not private matters.
It is held by a significant number of people, not one individual.
It is not always unanimous: there may be majority and minority opinions.
It changes over time as events and information change.
It can be informed or uninformed, and can be shaped or manipulated.

How public opinion is formed and measured

Agents that form public opinion (family, school, mass media, religious bodies, parties, pressure groups, peer groups) and the ways it is measured (elections, opinion polls, referendums, phone-ins and letters, demonstrations, social media)

Figure 1. Shaping and measuring public opinion. WASSCE Tutor diagram.

Agents of opinion formation

Agent	How it shapes opinion
Family	Children often adopt their parents' political views and loyalties
School	Civic education, teachers and debates shape attitudes to government
Mass media	Radio, newspapers, television and social media supply information and interpretation
Religious bodies	Sermons and statements by religious leaders influence followers
Political parties	Campaigns, rallies and manifestos win people to their views
Pressure groups	Campaigns draw attention to particular issues
Peer groups	Friends, colleagues and age-mates influence one another
Government	Press releases, propaganda and policy announcements
Opinion leaders	Chiefs, elders, celebrities and influential individuals

Methods of measuring public opinion

Elections: the clearest test of what voters think of the government.
Opinion polls (surveys): questioning a sample of people to estimate the views of all.
Referendums: a direct vote on a single issue.
Radio phone-in programmes, letters to editors and social media.
Demonstrations, strikes and protests.
Reports of chiefs, councillors, MPs and security agencies.
Petitions and memoranda.

Worked example

How does an opinion poll work? A polling organisation wants to know what voters think of a new policy. It cannot ask every adult, so it questions a sample, say 1,200 adults chosen so that men and women, regions, ages and urban and rural areas are fairly represented. If 60% of the sample approve, the pollster estimates that roughly 60% of all adults approve, within a margin of error of a few percentage points. A badly chosen sample (for example, only people in Freetown) gives a misleading result.

Importance of public opinion

Guides government policy: governments adjust policies that are unpopular.
Checks abuse of power and holds leaders accountable.
Gives legitimacy: a government with public support is more stable.
Shapes election outcomes.
Helps law enforcement: laws backed by public opinion are easier to enforce.
Promotes participation and debate.

Factors that limit the influence of public opinion

Illiteracy and ignorance of public issues
Poverty, which makes people easier to manipulate or bribe
Government control or censorship of the media
Ethnic and religious divisions, which split opinion
Fear of victimisation under authoritarian rule
Poor communication, especially in remote rural areas
Propaganda and fake news

In Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone, independent researchers and international survey networks carry out regular opinion surveys on topics such as the economy, trust in institutions and the performance of government. Before elections, polls attempt to predict results. Radio phone-in programmes on local stations are also a lively everyday measure of what people think, especially in areas where few people read newspapers.

Common mistake

Public opinion is not always the majority opinion, and it is not always right. A loud minority, a well-funded campaign or false information can create an impression of public opinion that does not match what most people really think. That is why reliable measurement matters.

Key points

Public opinion is the collective view of a large section of the public on a public issue.
Formed by family, school, mass media, religious bodies, parties, pressure groups, peers, government and opinion leaders.
Measured by elections, opinion polls, referendums, phone-ins, demonstrations and petitions.
Important because it guides policy, checks power and gives legitimacy; limited by illiteracy, poverty, censorship and division.

WASSCE examination focus

WAEC tests this

Expect to define public opinion, to explain the agents that form it, to describe how it is measured, and to explain its importance in a democracy. Questions also ask for factors that hinder the expression of public opinion in developing countries.

Quick check

Define public opinion.
Name three agents that shape public opinion.
What is an opinion poll?
Give two factors that limit the influence of public opinion.

Answers:

The collective view or attitude of a large section of the public on an issue of public concern.
Any three: family; school; mass media; religious bodies; political parties; pressure groups; peer groups; government; opinion leaders.
A survey in which a sample of people is questioned to estimate the views of the whole population.
Any two: illiteracy; poverty; government control of the media; ethnic and religious divisions; fear of victimisation; poor communication; propaganda and fake news.

Public opinion: meaning, formation and measurement