Summary
This is an introductory text on public opinion polling in the Canadian context. It explains in a non-technical way the techniques for gathering opinions by conducting polls, and how these opinions are measured and interpreted. Chapter 3 examines the relationship with mass media, both in terms of reporting about issues and events and the use of polling results as political entertainment. The power of public opinion polling as a way of persuading Canadians to adopt dominant values, and its use by the advertising industry is also discussed. Chapter 4 discusses how polling data is used to shape public policy by examining Canadians’ opinions about the controversial issues of free trade and health care, analysing the reactions to these issues in terms of moral panic. It concludes with a consideration of the role of political ideology in determining the priority given to public issues. Chapter 5 reviews issues of stability and change in opinions, looking at how demography, values, and technology as sources of opinion change. Two case studies – same sex marriage and national security – are used to show how the opinions of Canadians have changed over a five year period. The book concludes with a synopsis of the social determinants of public opinion, focusing on the impact of opinion polling and the emergence of moral panic.
Contents
1. Polling and understanding public opinion. – 1.1. The social basis of public opinion. – 1.2. The role of values in opinion formation. – 1.3. Understanding variations in opinions. – 1.4. Polls and pollsters. – 1.5. Summary. – 2. Methods of collecting opinions. – 2.1. Turning opinions into numbers. – 2.3. Populations and sampling. – 2.4. Questionnaires and interviews. – 2.5. Reporting the numbers. – 2.6. Summary. 3. Public opinion and the mass media. – 4. Public opinion polls and social policy. – 4.1. Leadership and opinion polling. – 4.2.Confidence and crisis in health care. – 4.3. Political ideology and public policy: -- 4.4. Summary. – 5. Change and stability in opinions. – Conclusion: Polling and public opinion