Public Opinion

Media and Public Opinion

Most scholarship agrees that the media are central to opinion formation and expression. Critical theorist Jiirgen Habermas conceptualized that a “public sphere” is necessary for democratic societies to deliberate and reflect on substantive issues to develop and ascertain the common good. The media play a crucial role in that public sphere, especially in large societies like the United States. Walter Lippmann observed that the media play a vital role in shaping the public's reality of the world around them. Many scholars since then have documented the significant influence the media have in shaping public opinion. The media perform an agenda-setting function that does not necessarily tell the public what to think but has considerable power to tell the public what to think about. In short, the media make some issues more salient than others. Numerous studies demonstrate that issues receiving heavy coverage like drugs or crime often become top priorities in opinion polls, but that the news media disproportionately convey the views and interests of those with power. Corporate conglomerates own and control most mainstream news organizations, and political and economic elites often define and dominate the news. The result is an information system that reflects dominant interests.

In addition to shaping opinion, the media report public sentiments mainly through polling data. Opinion surveys have become so central to politics and the news that many media outlets operate their own polling organizations or frequently commission surveys. Media use of polling data, however, is selective. For example, polls are prominently featured, often in superficial “horse race” surveys, on matters of presidential and congressional elections. Yet polls lack this centrality when the media cover most areas of policy, because, as some scholars argue, public opinion does not coincide with elite preferences. Furthermore, this point highlights that individuals are not in a passive, vegetative state when consuming the media. They actively construct and interpret information and messages.

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