Public opinion is one of the phenomena that with great difficulty lend themselves to comprehensive analysis and rigorous definition. Therefore, there are many points of view on the problem of its definition. Almost two dozen definitions can be found in Russian literature alone.

Public opinion depends on the society in which it is formed and developed, on the principles of this society, on cultural values \u200b\u200band the degree of democratization of the social system.

The study of public opinion is a very urgent problem, since public opinion is a kind of regulator of the processes that take place in society. The study of public opinion by sociological methods with an objective analysis allows us to catch the slightest shades of it, trends in its change, clarify the quantitative relationship between its various assessments, and find out the real alignment of political forces.

Analysis of public opinion is not only of great practical, but also theoretical significance, contributes to the development of the sciences of society.

Public opinion is the value judgments of the majority of members of large communities of people, expressing their attitude to facts, phenomena, processes of reality.

The theoretical understanding of public opinion and its role in state life is given a lot of space in the famous treatise "The Sovereign" by the Italian thinker and statesman N. Machiavelli. In the XVII-XVIII centuries. the words "public opinion" denoted the perception of the political opinion of the public and voters, which manifests itself outside parliament, as opposed to their public discussion of political issues in parliament. Since the end of the XVIII century. this term has become generally accepted.

In modern times, public opinion was analyzed in the works of the English philosophers T. Hobbes, F. Bacon and J. Locke. In his work "Experience of the Human Mind" Locke identified three groups of laws that a person must obey in his behavior: divine, human and public opinion. He viewed public opinion as a manifestation of morality and believed that people, when assessing their actions, turn not only to religious commandments, civil laws, but also to public opinion. Locke's position on public opinion as a measure of "moral" and "immoral" allowed sociologists to further investigate the role of public opinion in moral life, as well as substantiate such a specific feature of opinion as evaluativeness. T. Hobbes believed that opinion is a reflection of certain social needs. The actions and activities of people are conditioned by their opinions, and if the opinions of people are effectively managed, this will lead to effective management of their activities, which will allow achieving a peaceful solution to social problems. Hegel, dividing society into "civil society" and "state", sought to prove that only the state is capable of solving problems affecting the interests of the whole society. The people are endowed with subjective opinions, while the state has objective, not subjective, opinions as its definition. Public opinion is an inorganic way of discovering what the people want and what they think. What really manifests itself in the state must, of course, act organically, and this takes place in the state system, Hegel wrote.

French sociologist G. Tarde , believed that public opinion is created by the public. the boundaries of which are very vague, and the main feature of the public is the movement of opinions that it generates. Tarde noted that public opinion is a certain set of reflections and answers to modern questions. Opinion is a statistical system governed by both logic and feelings and shared by a different number of people from several tens to several million. Tarde wrote that an opinion is an instantaneous and more or less logical group of judgments that, in response to topical issues, are reproduced in multiple copies in people of the same country, the same time and the same society. The judgment expressed by the individual extends to the entire society and becomes general. V.M. Khvostov connects the process of the birth of public opinion with the interests of classes and social groups. He emphasized the role of the people in creating public opinion. Since the expression of an attitude in the form of approval or condemnation, a wish or a demand is one of the important signs of public opinion, Khvostov defines public opinion as the attitude that society takes to any issue or event, and members of the society are aware of their solidarity in views on this issue.

Public opinion reflects all or nearly all sides life of society... It includes in its content the same rational, volitional and emotional moments as specific forms of social consciousness. So, if an opinion is expressed on political or moral issues, then it thereby includes both political and moral ideas, i.e. rational moments.

Public opinion also broadly encompasses the sphere of feelings, as it evaluates the actions of people, approves, or condemns them. Feelings of affection, sympathy or anger, hatred are always present in public opinion.

The key concepts of the phenomenon of "public opinion" are the concepts of object and subject. The objects of public opinion are facts, events and processes. The subject of public opinion is the dominant majority of a society. The subject of public opinion is not any group of people, but large human communities.

Opinions are judgments of people, expressing their attitude to facts, phenomena, processes of reality, their assessment. The peculiarity of opinions as value judgments is that they also express the subjective attitude of people to the object. To clarify the specifics of an opinion, it is important to consider it as a necessary link in the relationship between the subject and the object of activity, in relation to a person, a social group with the outside world. In the process of such interaction, value judgments are expressed, which act as a regulator of human behavior relations. The specificity lies in the fact that a judgment expresses an attitude towards something in the form of approval or condemnation, a wish or a direct demand. This attitude arises due to the presence of conflicting judgments and is expressed by the public.

Opinion depends not only on knowledge, but also on the interests of people, their worldview. Expression of attitude in the form of approval or condemnation, wishes or demands is one of the important signs of public opinion. Public opinion always expresses a certain attitude of people towards the solution of certain issues of public life, towards the activities of the government, political parties, and towards individuals. In the opinion of the majority, internal unity is inherent in public opinion.

Another important sign of public opinion is that it is formed on issues affecting the common interests of people. , and arises in connection with the divergence of their views on issues of interest to them. An important sign of public opinion is not only that it is publicly expressed and defended, but also how widespread it is.

Public opinion, as a judgment expressing the ordinary consciousness of people, is not based on scientific theses, however, the presence of false ideas in public opinion cannot be regarded as a specific feature.

Opinions are very fluid . Their peculiarity is that with a change in the conditions influencing their formation, yesterday's opinion of the minority today may become the opinion of the majority or a unanimous opinion, and vice versa. The variability, mobility of opinions makes it necessary to analyze their entire totality.

In the process of sociological study of public opinion, first of all, the direction of opinion (positive or negative), as well as its intensity (weak or strong), is fixed. The degree of interest in the problem and its controversial nature are revealed. The task is to determine not only the attitude of people to any problem, but also their judgment on the possible, most effective ways of solving this problem. Such studies are a necessary element of managerial decision-making.

The formation of public opinion is carried out spontaneously and deliberately. The evolution and development of public opinion begins with the establishment of a family hearth, the formation of a clan and tribe.

If earlier, before the formation of these unions, a person's actions were guided exclusively by egoism, then from that time on, for the first time, the regulation of human actions begins in terms of the interests of the union. Such regulation is guided everywhere and everywhere by the so-called public opinion, which defines good and evil from the point of view of the interests of society, and not from the point of view of some personal aspirations.

Later, a court apparatus was created, but the court did not eliminate the power and importance of public opinion, which plays a huge role both in primitive societies and in developed social organizations. At the same time, public opinion is a more subtle instrument in assessing human activity, moral actions, thoughts and moral feelings of a person, which cannot be evaluated by a court at all. Public opinion makes its own very definite assessment of moral behavior.

Public opinion is also associated with such social phenomena as popularity, fame, which are for many a stimulus to actions of a public nature and public interest.

The reasons or driving forces of public opinion should include the mass needs, interests and value orientations of people.

Economic, spiritual and social needs are associated with the formation of public opinion. The needs of people not only influence the dynamics of public opinion, but act as its main factor, since they contain deep motives experienced by people to achieve certain conditions of life and development. The desire to meet needs is expressed through assessments, mentality, judgments.

As a result, public opinion is formed, which reflects the content and nature of the need that brought it to life. Conscious mass needs of people are the reason for the emergence and formation of public opinion due to the fact that they act as motives of various social and psychological processes inherent in the very nature of this opinion.

Arising on the basis of needs and maintaining a close connection with them, interests express the specific attitude of people towards those objects of reality that are of great importance and emotional attractiveness to them. Compared to needs, they act as a stronger incentive for the emergence of public opinion. Those events and phenomena of reality that arouse the interest of not only individuals, but also generate mass interest, become the center of public attention, assessments and emotions.

In addition to needs and interests, value orientations have a great influence on the content and direction of public opinion. Value orientations are a combination of the rational and sensual attitude to the subject of public opinion. Public opinion is formed on two levels: emotional and rational. The most effective and stable is the opinion that captures both the sphere of people's feelings and the sphere of reason. It can express not only hatred or hope, but also the rationally justified position of its subject.

Thus, public opinion as a publicly expressed and widespread opinion is the spokesman for the common interests of people. Its formation takes place in the process of a struggle of opposing opinions, since there is no complete coincidence of people's interests, their desires and aspirations.

Public opinion is subject to manipulation due to the fact that it develops not only consciously, but also subconsciously, including its content as judgments of common sense, prejudices, and myths. Emotional agitation and mental instability may be characteristic of him. Manipulation destroys the foundations on which public opinion is based: a certain system of values, attitudes, stereotypes. Today the mass media unite people around them and create their consciousness in their own image. An opinion formed in this way is not the opinion of the majority, but the opinion of a certain new mass. With the advent of mass society, television and the press become the main means of shaping public opinion, which is created or changed to please the social customer. At the same time, the viewer can neither object nor find out how many people share his opinion.

Public opinion is manifested in the action of conscious and unconscious (irrational) factors. The unconscious component of public opinion includes: manifestations of intuition, instincts, unconscious volitional impulses, myths, traditions, stereotypes, symbols, etc. Therefore, various phenomena of mass psychology, primarily various kinds of rumors, have a great influence on its formation. Rumors are among the most influential and actively circulating phenomena in the spiritual life of people and remain an objectively inevitable attribute of interpersonal communication. Rumor is an informative message based on true or false information about real or fictional facts, events, phenomena of reality. The process of forming public opinion under the influence of rumors is characterized by inconsistency and spontaneity. It proceeds rather quickly, and the prevailing public opinion has existed for a relatively short time. Public opinion, influenced by rumors, can take the form of not so much an ordinary value judgment as a direct strict demand. Public opinion differs depending on the type of rumor influencing it. Thus, public opinion, formed under the influence of spontaneous rumors, arises spontaneously when such factors as pity, hatred, etc. become active. Such public opinion is fleeting and contradictory.

Public opinion, formed under the influence of warning hearing, is aimed at warning people about an undesirable phenomenon or event. Unlike the opinion that arose under the influence of provocative hearing, there is practically no aggressiveness in it.

The opinion formed under the influence of a plausible rumor contains some elements of reliable facts, however, together with speculation and conjecture.

Allocate "rumors-desires", "rumors-scarecrows", aggressive rumors. An opinion formed under the influence of "rumor-desires" strengthens in people hope for something or increases disappointment. The opinion formed under the influence of "rumor-scarecrows" is a form of mass excitement, accompanied by the activities of people to get rid of possible danger. The most negative in its consequences is the opinion formed under the influence of aggressive hearing, since the nature of the functioning of this opinion is determined by hatred, suspicion, and hostility.

Faith occupies a special place in the process of forming public opinion. Knowledge of the mental foundations of the unconscious opens up opportunities for influencing the content of public opinion, its direction, and tendencies of change.

The formation of public opinion is a very complex process. It is determined not only by the influence of the driving forces of human activity, such as needs, interests, values, attitudes, stereotypes. The content and intensity of the formation of public opinion is influenced by all mass spiritual and psychological formations that exist in society. In addition, the formation and dynamics of the development of public opinion is influenced by economic, political, legal, moral and other conditions.

3. The concept of "subject of public opinion"; "opinion giver"; "Public opinion"

The subject of public opinion is a large stable community of people to which this or that opinion belongs, from the standpoint of whose interests it is expressed.

An expression of public opinion is any association of people acting as its bearer, including the initiator of its formation. As its spokesman, the initiator is, as a rule, the public, which is always supported by social groups, classes with their interests.

Today, various public organizations and political parties claim the role of spokesmen for public opinion. However, given the current political situation, such organizations often appeal to the concept of "public opinion" unreasonably. Opinion research by such organizations is often a means of manipulating this opinion. Such organizations can adjust their opinions in their own way in accordance with their own interests.

At any given moment in society, there are many opinions belonging to large and small social communities and expressed on a variety of issues. To summarize the entire set of opinions in sociological research, it is customary to use the concept of "public opinion" . If public opinion is the opinion of the majority, then public opinion includes both the opinion of the majority and the opinions of individual groups in society. Such a set of opinions is of particular interest for researchers of public opinion, since any of these opinions at any time under the influence of certain factors can become the opinion of the majority, public opinion.

Public opinion is a state of mass consciousness, which includes an attitude (hidden or explicit) to social events, to the activities of various groups, organizations, individuals; expresses the position of approval or condemnation on certain social problems, regulates the behavior of individuals, social groups and institutions, enforces certain norms of social relations; acts both within society as a whole and within various social groups. The activity and importance of public opinion are determined by the nature of the social structure of society, the level of development of economic culture, democratic institutions and freedoms. Public opinion finds expression in elections to government bodies, mass media, public opinion polls, etc.

The objects of public opinion are facts, events and processes. The dominant majority of a society is the subject of public opinion. An expression of public opinion is any association of people acting as its bearer.

The reasons or driving forces of public opinion include the mass needs, interests and value orientations of people.

Public opinion as a publicly expressed and widespread opinion is the spokesman for the common interests of people. Its formation takes place in the process of the struggle of opposing opinions.

Sociological research of public opinion today is a necessary element of managerial decision-making in all spheres of public life.

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8. Sociology: Textbook / Ed. V.N. Lavrinenko. - M., 2004.

1. before trying to change public opinion, it must be identified and understood;
2. it is necessary to clearly define the target groups of the public;
3. public relations specialists should pay special attention to the laws of formation of public opinion.

Famous American pR specialist, social psychologist Hadley Kentril in his work " Public Opinion Research»Formulated 15 laws of public opinion.

1. Public opinion extremely sensitive to significant events.
2. Unusually attractive in terms of force, events are capable of pushing public opinion from one extreme to another for some time. Public opinion does not stabilize until the meaning of the consequences of events becomes clear.
3. Public opinion, as a rule, is more quickly formed under the influence of events than words, at least until oral statements as such acquire the meaning of an event.
4. Oral statements and verbal formulations about a policy take on maximum weight when opinions are not yet formed and people expect some kind of interpretation from a credible source.
5. Public opinion in most cases "does not foresee" critical situations - it only reacts to them.
6. From a psychological point of view, public opinion is determined mainly by the selfish interests of people. Events, words and any other stimuli influence opinion as much as their connection with self-interest is obvious.
7. Public opinion will not remain “agitated” for a long time unless people feel that their own interests are being affected, or the opinion formed by words is not confirmed by the development of events.
8. Public opinion is not easy to change because people's vested interests are affected.
9. When vested interests are at stake, in a democratic society, public opinion can outpace the actions of the authorities.
10. If an opinion is shared by a small majority of people, or if it is not yet substantially structured, then a fait accompli may persuade public opinion to approve of it.
11. In critical situations, people become picky, assessing the competence of their leadership: if they trust him, they are ready to give the management authority that exceeds the usual; if they refuse to trust him, they become less tolerant.
12. Resistance to decisive action taken by management is much weaker when people feel that they too are involved in some way in decision-making.
13. People have more thoughts and a higher willingness to express them about the goals set, rather than the methods necessary to achieve these goals.
14. Public opinion, like personal, is always emotionally colored. If public opinion is based mainly on emotions, then it is ready for especially drastic changes under the influence of events.
15. If citizens of a democratic society have the opportunity to receive education and enjoy wide access to information, then public opinion is characterized by sobriety and common sense... The more people understand the benefits of events and the projects they offer, the sooner they agree with the more objective considerations of experts.

After reviewing these laws, several conclusions can be drawn:

• a typical reaction to public opinion is a demand to act;
• impact on people will be much more effective if their interests are taken into account;
• requirements for leadership are not always objective;
• it is difficult to determine the reliability of the assessment of public opinion.

You should beware of the dangerous situations that public opinion creates, as it is constantly changing. In assessing public opinion, consider several such situations.

"Carved in stone"... Many people believe that if a strong public opinion has developed on some issue, then it will not change soon. It is in vain to judge so unambiguously, since, evaluating public opinion, it is not always possible to arrive at the correct result. Moreover, public opinion at a certain moment is a very shaky thing.

"Intuition prompts"... If, say, the company's management intuitively guesses that its employees are inclined to support a certain policy direction, then it decides to follow this direction. However, it should be noted that it is necessary to be careful here, since many managers are so out of touch with reality that their reflexive reaction to the problem often leads to imprudent actions.

"Unified public opinion"... There is public opinion, but there is no consensus in public opinion. Different social groups form public opinion, but it cannot be the same for them. Therefore, when influencing public opinion, messages must be targeted.

"You can move mountains with a word"... Here it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that “empty” words and statements will not help to influence public opinion. Supporters of the organization "green" ( Greenpeace) will stand up for the protection of animals for a very long time and try in vain to protect nature, until some event occurs that will turn the consciousness and ideas of people. It is not words that influence public opinion, but events. Evidence of this is the emerging negative attitude towards the United States on the part of the public. At first, the actions of this state were paid attention to (and, accordingly, they were condemned) by those countries that were affected by armed incursions under the motto of "fighting injustice." Now, any armed intervention by the United States in the affairs of another state is accompanied by rallies and processions around the world.

"Brotherly support"... Compassion for one's neighbor, "brother in misfortune" contributes to the formation of public opinion. Most people strongly protest when their kind is treated unfairly. But they will be even more decisive if they themselves were treated unfairly. For example, the recent events with the caricature of the Prophet Muhammad - the saint of all Muslims - confirm this. The offended believers rallied so much that a trial broke out in France. Although the process ended in favor of those who published the cartoons, this event united Muslim believers and encouraged them to take various actions (including illegal ones), thereby forming a certain public opinion. In other words, public opinion is often shaped by selfish interests.

Unfortunately, the ways to influence public opinion are not always fair. There are many propaganda techniques that are usually used to form a particular public opinion. Here are some of these techniques.

Assigning finished stamps... A person can be given a positive or negative characteristic. Someone can be called smart and honest, or a liar and a crook. Such a "ready-made" characteristic can affect public opinion, since a person takes a person's characterization on faith. However, it also happens that the characteristic is left open, giving people the opportunity to draw their own conclusion about someone.

Vivid generalizations... Some events are very often characterized by vague emotional terms, such as "excited crowd" or "meeting meeting".

Shifting emphasis... This happens when, say, a famous athlete or pop star takes part in a campaign in support of a product or politician, and the aura of a famous person extends to a lesser known person or product.

Testimonials.In contrast to the shift in focus technique, this technique is aimed at a certain emphasis of attention, for example, to stimulate sales to customers, it is reported that famous athletes, singers, actors and other celebrities use it.

Ordinary people... This is a favorite technique of politicians who, with the help of sentimental speeches, populist appeals, are trying to inspire the people with the idea that, despite their high posts, they, as before, remain "simple, of the people."

In the same boat... This technique is used in order to nudge undecided people at all costs to follow the majority. While some researchers do not support this opinion, many television companies do not report preliminary results of voting in different parts of the state on election day until polling stations are closed throughout the country, so as not to influence voters who have not yet voted.

Rigging... This technique is associated with discussing only one side of the event, highlighting facts that reflect only one point of view, and hushing up other facts or opinions. As a result, the essence of what is happening is distorted and incorrectly illuminated.

Emotional stereotypes... An image designed for emotional impact is used: "good owner", "homemaker", "foreigner", etc.

Forbidden silence... This is a subtle hint, assumption, innuendo and other forms associated with hiding information that can correct a wrong impression.

Subversive rhetoric... This technique is used to discredit the motives for action in order to discredit an idea that, in fact, can be good and useful. For example, in this way it is possible to discredit the zeal of a deputy to increase the salary of judges on the grounds that after the expiration of his term as a deputy he will work as a judge, although this measure is aimed at increasing the independence of judges and reducing corruption in the judiciary.

Such techniques are obvious, but their skillful use is invisible to others. Anyone who deals with communication can use oral, written and other propaganda techniques. Collectively, they can take the form of synthetic events.

In the work of PR specialists (especially when it comes to attracting the media to implement programs to influence public opinion), methods are used by which people are misled. Such events do not always have a negative impact on public opinion. In the skillful and, most importantly, the right hands, these tools of influence can be used to positively change the attitudes and behavior of people in a constructive direction. The only question is whether moral norms and human civil rights are violated.

As a result of studying chapter 14, the student should:

know

• - the main modern interpretations of public opinion;
• - the structure and functions of public opinion;
• - the essence of manipulating public opinion;

be able to

• - to distinguish public opinion as an assessment and a social institution;
• - highlight the stages of development of public opinion;

own

- the skills of analyzing specific examples of public opinion.

Public opinion as a social phenomenon

Interest in public opinion, which "is not visible to the naked eye" (G. Tarde), but which nevertheless has a huge impact on people, has always existed in human society. People's opinions have been paid attention to since ancient times. So, Democritus, Plato, Aristotle correlated opinions and knowledge. In modern times, G. Hegel, in his "Philosophy of Law", gave a detailed concept of public opinion. In the 20th century, sociological concepts of public opinion appeared. In Europe, the USA and Russia, a number of sociologists have turned to the study of the essence of public opinion, its role, functions in the life of society, and forms of expression.

Currently in sociology under the term "public opinion" understand:

• 1) a set of judgments developed and shared by a more or less wide range of people;
• 2) social institution, i.e. a special form of social organization and regulation.

Considering public opinion in the first sense, sociologists define it as a set of value judgments expressing the attitude of social groups to events, processes, phenomena of the surrounding world. Thus, public opinion, first, reflects reality; secondly, evaluates it. Public opinion is a spiritual education, a certain cut of the spiritual life of people. To express an opinion means to evaluate something or someone in one way or another (for example, to approve or condemn). Content of public opinion there is a mutual influence of people on each other in order to develop a unity of assessment of a significant actual phenomenon, process, as well as behavior corresponding to this assessment in a specific situation.

The basis for the emergence of public opinion is the presence of a need manifested in the public interest. In order to evaluate something (things, views, events, etc.), you must have knowledge about the objects of evaluation. Knowledge may be complete or incomplete, true or untrue, but it always serves prerequisite forming any opinion: knowledge and opinion are inextricably linked. The degree of awareness of the subject of opinion about his object determines competence of opinion... At the same time, opinion and knowledge differ: opinion, unlike knowledge, does not exist without its subject.

Who is performing subject of public opinion? In the history of social thought, we can find various statements on this issue. For T. Mohr, the subject of public opinion is the "popular assembly", for J. Locke and Mr. Hegel, the people, for J. Condorcet, the majority, for G. Tarde, the public, for the German lawyer F. Golzendorf, either the upper classes or broad layers of the people (otherwise he speaks of the impersonality of public opinion).

The social organism is a complex system, which includes many structures that are different in their structure and volume. These are small groups (families, production teams, sports teams), and large groups (professional, national, etc.), and social institutions. Within each of them and society as a whole, around issues affecting the interests of the structure, there is internal opinion. Regardless of whether we are talking about a primary production collective or an administrative region, demographic or ethnic group, such an opinion within the framework and in relation to its structure is public. Therefore, we are talking about the public opinion of a group, region, nation, and finally, society as a whole. And this is always an opinion the majority (nation, group, region), i.e. the predominant part of a particular structure. As the subject of its own opinion, each community acts as a co-subject of public opinion of the people when its subject affects the general interests (for example, war).

Public opinion is not the opinion of all adult members of society. In a society (or in a group, region, nation) there will always be a certain number of individuals who are outside public opinion. These are people who have their own position that does not coincide with the position of any public group, as well as those who do not take any position or shy away from publicly expressing their point of view (this happens in election polls).

Public Opinion Subject is an organic collection of separate individuals united by a stable interest and relationship. The subject of public opinion, as a rule, is both a carrier and an exponent of opinion. Thus, striking teachers and miners are both bearers and spokesmen for the opinions of their professional groups. Sometimes, when an opinion has not yet acquired a large scale, it is expressed by some one group. For example, green groups were the earliest to express a need for a clean environment. Gradually, this opinion became universal.

Object of public opinion - this is something about which the assessment, attitude is formed and expressed. In principle, the object of public opinion can be any phenomenon, fact, process, etc .; in this sense, the object of public opinion is unlimited. Opinion has an equal opportunity and shows an equal desire to judge both economic reform, and the decline in morals, and the behavior of prominent politicians. At the same time, by no means every event, phenomenon, etc. becomes the object of opinion, but only that which represents any interest for a group or society. As you know, there is always a certain need, which expresses the need to change the conditions of existence of a given subject. The more vital interests of the subject of opinion are affected by the object, the more urgent the need to satisfy them, the stronger the process of forming public opinion manifests itself, the more actively this opinion declares itself. Thus, only if there is a common interest of people, this or that phenomenon of reality really becomes an object of public opinion. This is noted by both foreign and domestic researchers.

In addition to public importance, the object of opinion must meet the criteria:

controversial, those. there should be multiple-valued judgments about the object of opinion, differences in approach;

competence - to form judgments about something, people need a certain level of knowledge, awareness of the object of opinion.

According to the degree of complexity, objects of public opinion are divided into objects -facts, objects -events, objects-phenomena (processes).

The structure of public opinion includes a number of components:

• 1. Rational component consists of specific knowledge about facts and events that have become the object of public attention.
• 2. Emotional component is a set of mass sentiments, social feelings about objects of public opinion.
• 3. Appraisal and value component, or social assessment, develops as a result of the interpenetration of the rational and emotional components.
• 4. Strong-willed component. In addition to evaluations, judgments, public opinion contains an active principle, on which the transition from judgment to action depends. Such a beginning is will, public strong-willed impulses. Thus, the volitional component expresses the subject's aspiration for the practical implementation of value judgments presented in public opinion. Will reflects the willingness of the subject to enforce his position. Thus, volitional principles contribute to the transformation of public opinion from a predominantly spiritual education into spiritually practical, stimulating practical activities people.

All these components of the structure of public opinion closely interact, determining its qualitative originality.

As noted above, public opinion is not only a set of value judgments about an object. Very often, in the conditions of modern societies with their sufficiently developed mass consciousness, the system of mass communications, representative democracy, it acts as social institution. The established, stable, functioning opinion corresponds common features social institution, such as:

• 1) the statuses and roles of subjects entering into relationships that become stable;
• 2) regulation and control over the interaction of subjects;
• 3) more or less formalized organization;
• 4) socially significant functions performed by the institution in society.

Subject structure of the institution of public opinion make up:

subjects of public opinion - community different types; subjects of expression of public opinion (they can be directly the subjects of opinion themselves and specialized subjects, for example, the media);

public opinion research subjects (research, marketing structures, sociological centers engaged in diagnostics of mass consciousness);

subjects of formation, production of opinions, which purposefully affect the mass consciousness; subjects of the use of public opinion in the development and adoption of political, managerial and other decisions (participants in political and managerial processes);

subjects of regulation of activities in the sphere of functioning of the institution of public opinion (these include legislative and executive bodies that establish the procedure for the functioning of the institution of public opinion in society).

All of these entities have certain statuses, roles, rights and responsibilities, carry out assessment activities and activities to form, express, study assessments.

Public opinion as a social institution contains specific norms and regulations, both formal and informal.

Public opinion performs in society a number of the same functionsthat other social institutions: ensures social integration, regulates the activities of social subjects, contributes to the reproduction of the existing system of relations, the translation of social experience and communications. The institution of public opinion enhances the interdependence and mutual responsibility of social subjects through norms, rules and a system of roles, contributes to the consolidation of efforts, and ensures the conformity (consistency) of the personal goals of individuals with the goals of other people. As a social institution, public opinion develops patterns of behavior that guide people's actions in a set direction. It is not uncommon for a person to act in accordance with standards of opinion against their own will. Public opinion is universal as a regulator, for it is present in all spheres of activity and relations, at all levels of the structure of society.

Institutionalized opinion fixes certain relations and promotes their preservation and transmission, thereby the institution of opinion ensures the stability of the social structure of society.

The institution of public opinion differs from other social institutions in that acts in all spheres of society, therefore, it cannot be considered unambiguously either as a political or as an economic institution, or as an institution of the spiritual sphere only. As modern researchers of public opinion note, it is difficult for him to find a place within the framework of the subject classification of social institutions. This institution, under certain conditions, can perform the functions of a political, economic or spiritual institution. It is more appropriate to classify the institution of public opinion as informal institutions of society, since most often he orders, regulates the behavior of social subjects through a system of informal norms.

the state of mass consciousness, which expresses the attitude of social communities to the phenomena and processes of the surrounding reality. Forming on the basis of individual opinions, O. m., However, is not their sum, but is the result of an intensive exchange of views, in the course of which either a general opinion crystallizes, or many points of view that do not coincide with each other arise. Monism or pluralism of an ophthalmologist is determined by many factors, including the nature of its object. Distinguished not only by its relevance, but also by social significance, a variety of connections and interests of various communities (classes, social strata, groups and categories of the population), it gives rise to the versatility of perception and the ambiguity (debatability) of its interpretation. O.'s structure and. also depends on the characteristics of the subject of opinion, in particular on the depth of his social differentiation, which determines the degree of similarity of interests of the groups and strata included in his composition. The specificity of its content also affects the character of O. m. So, if an object of m is limited to an assessment of a fact or an event, then it is expressed by a value judgment, but if it also contains an analysis of an object, the idea of \u200b\u200bthe ways and means of its transformation takes the form of an analytical or constructive judgment, respectively. And finally, O. m., Depending on the preferences of the subject, acts in the form of negative or positive judgments. Reflecting the interests of various social groups, O. m. Can take shape at the level of theoretical knowledge or at the level of everyday consciousness and, in this regard, is distinguished by maturity, objectivity and competence. To a large extent, the listed qualities of O. m are determined by the process of its formation. In particular, the purposeful activity of social institutions contributes to the formation of a more adequate O. m., At the same time, the spontaneous formation of O. m. Can sometimes give it a false, illusory character. The noted characteristics of O. m leave an imprint on its functioning, since it significantly affects the perception and assessment of various events and facts (expressive function), judgments and decisions made (advisory and directive functions), the impact of O. m. On the consciousness and behavior of individuals ( regulatory and educational function). In modern Soviet society, in connection with the deepening of democratization, the restriction of the functions of the state apparatus, and the development of popular self-government, the activity of public administration in all spheres of public life is noticeably increasing, and its role in the processes of developing and making decisions is increasing. Soviet sociologists are gradually stepping up their efforts aimed at a comprehensive survey of O. m. For this, various methods of collecting primary sociological information are used, but most often mass polls. In the country, conditions are being created for this work, various kinds of centers and research collectives are emerging that are engaged in the study of O. m., Polling networks are being established in some regions. In Ukraine, there are three regional branches (Central Ukrainian, West Ukrainian, East Ukrainian) of the All-Union Center for the Study of Public Opinion at the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions and the State Committee of Labor of the USSR, groups at the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, some party, trade union and Komsomol committees, subdivisions in the department of sociology of the Institute philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR.

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This is one of my favorite topics, because for people, public opinion is so important that they are ready to go out of their way to properly shape it. Public opinion really makes sense if you are going to use that opinion for your own purposes, such as gaining support. But if you are worried about public opinion just because it makes you uncomfortable, then you definitely have problems with the correct perception of the world. What is public opinion in general, how can we define such a concept? Someone will say that this is collective thinking or the point of view of the majority, as if uniting the consciousness of people into a single whole. Only now there is no this single whole, there is no opinion of the majority, and there is no collective thinking, there is only a herd instinct that controls all this. In fact, there is only one person's point of view who convinces others to accept it.

There is the opinion of one person, which is taken on faith by the others and is accepted as their own, and there is a decision of one person, which again is the basis for the decisions of other people. That is, if society has an opinion about your personality, then there is someone who formed it in this way. Well, everyone will not think the same way overnight, even though we are brought up in this way. One way or another, each situation, like each person, we see in our own way, and we also give our definition to a person. Only now, not everyone has the courage to express exclusively their point of view. And therefore, sometimes it is easier to accept someone else's point of view than to dare to express your own, otherwise God forbid you turn the rest against yourself.

Therefore, the point of view of the most courageous and convincing people prevails in society, who take responsibility for the so-called public opinion, which cannot be called anything other than a stereotype taken on faith. Yes, many even have no idea why they think the way they think, why they have a certain opinion about a particular person, and why do they even think that they have their own opinion, different from someone else's? This is not an easy question, at least for those who try to be like others in everything, who are not confident enough in themselves. So it turns out that being a victim of public opinion, you are actually a victim of the opinion of one person who imposed it on others. And if you dig deeper, then the blame for such an opinion will ultimately fall on you, as a person who is not confident enough in himself, who allows himself to be manipulated not by society as it may seem to him, but simply by another person.

Changing public opinion about their personality is essentially a technical task; people will believe what sounds more convincing than looks more plausible. As for just not giving a damn about public opinion, which is very unstable, this is certainly a very wise way not to fill your head with unnecessary thoughts about those who do not deserve it. But this is only in the case when you really do not depend in some way on the society, whose opinion can be used in your interests, or against you. Let's say a presidential candidate, it is extremely important to form a positive opinion of himself in society, although by definition he does not care about him, for him people are only means of achieving his goal.

And I advise you to adhere to the same position, because if you do not impose your point of view on society, thereby forming its opinion, then someone else will do it, playing on the interests of this society. And if you yourself understand that the opinion of each person reflects primarily his own interests, then you should also understand that there are only two options for public opinion: either it is imposed on him by you, and reflects your interests, or it is completely irrelevant to you. what, because it is no longer interesting for you. Public opinion also does not reflect the interests of society in fact, as a variable value, this opinion from time to time plays in the interests of different people who know how to form it.

So think after that whether it makes sense at all to think about what others will think of you or what they will say about you, because whatever they think and say, you depend a little on it. If there is still dependence, then you need to work in terms of your own growth, becoming more self-confident and introducing your understanding of things into the consciousness of the people around you. So you know, much more interesting than constantly adjusting to the opinion of those who do not even know what it is.