Introduction
Public opinion is a set of viewpoints regarding a specific person, topic, or policy. They are used to learn about people’s approval, disapproval, or neutral attitude towards a certain politician’s actions and ideas. It plays a crucial role in politics, as ignoring it may result in protests or riots.
Discussion
Companies gather the data and analyze it, so that the politicians and media can then review it and draw conclusions on people’s sentiments (Krutz & Waskiewicz). The information is later used to choose the right candidate for a political party, legislation, and messages. Public opinion is usually based on people’s beliefs and attitudes, such as being pro-life or pro-choice and being supportive of gun legislation, or opposed to it.
Its influence on politics varies depending on the situation, as it can be direct or vaguer. For example, public opinion may affect the course of Presidential elections. After President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, there were debates surrounding the next possible candidate (Krutz & Waskiewicz). Different politicians were ranked and compared with the help of newspapers, including favorability polls about Hillary Clinton. These polls mattered because she later became a presidential candidate for the Democratic party. However, the effect of public opinion on the government is vaguer, as people have limited information on the officials. Thus, politicians understand that relying on their views is not always a suitable option. The interaction between presidents and public opinion demonstrates its complicated nature. Namely, when the former is highly approved, they are more likely to achieve personal goals, motivate the audience to support a certain cause and act rapidly.
Conclusion
Theodore Roosevelt believed that the presidency could be used to control media attention and to appeal to people directly. Thus, while the effect of public opinion on politics may be direct in most cases, in others, it is more complicated.
Works Cited
Krutz, Glen, and Sylvie Waskiewicz. American Government. 2nd ed., 12th Media Services, 2019, Open Library Textbooks. Web.