Summary
This book examines the uses of polls and focus groups in government, paying particular attention to public opinion on policy rather than on support for parties. It explores the relationships between government officials and pollsters, and the contributions of public opinion research to the policy process. Three high-profile policies are considered in depth: the repatriation of the Constitution and the establishment of the Charter of Rights by the Trudeau government, the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax by the Mulroney government, and the controversial strengthening of gun control by the Chrétien government. The author demonstrates that opinion research has a greater variety of roles than is often recognized, and that, despite conventional wisdom, its foremost impact is to help governments determine how to communicate with citizens.
Contents
1. Public opinion and polling. – 2. Public opinion and policy-making. – 3. The practice and framework of opinion research for government in Canada. – 4. An overview of the uses of opinion research in the policy process. – 5. Opinion research and government communications. – 6. Opinion research and constitutional renewal, 1980-1. – 7. Opinion research and the goods and services tax. – 8. Opinion research and gun control. – 9. Constraints on the use of opinion research in government. – 10. Conclusion.