Constructing Public Opinion: How Political Elites Do What They Like and Why We Seem to Go Along with It (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780231117661)

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.

Author: Justin Lewis
ISBN-10: 0231117663
ISBN-13: 9780231117661
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/07/2001
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.06lbs
Size: 9.29h x 6.17w x 0.77d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 07/01/2001 pg. 1950
Reference and Research Bk News 08/01/2001 pg. 123