What is the power of public opinion. Public opinion - methods of manipulating public opinion and mass consciousness

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Similar Documents

The concept of public opinion: essence and features, objects and subjects. Formation of public opinion, means of manipulation. Comparison of the concepts "subject of public opinion" and "expressor of public opinion". Meaning of the term "public opinion".

abstract, added 03/01/2010


The concept of the sociology of public opinion, the characteristics of its subject and object. The place of public opinion in the structure of public consciousness. Functions of public opinion, features of its structure. Sociological study of public opinion.

presentation, added 04/06/2014


The essence and main features of public opinion, the definition of subjects and objects. The procedure for the formation of public opinion and the means of manipulating it. The concept of "subject of public opinion"; "opinion giver"; "public opinion".

term paper, added 07/24/2010


Study of the phenomenon of public opinion as an institution with social power. The study of aspects of the interaction of public opinion and politics. The role of public opinion in the formation of civil society and the system of social relationships.

term paper, added 01/27/2015


Polling and sociological research of public opinion, their similarities and differences. Classification and features of public opinion survey systems, their structure, institutionality, methods of work. Polling centers attached to the media.

abstract, added 12/21/2011


The essence of public opinion as a specific manifestation of public consciousness. The main methods of studying public opinion: sociological and informal research, communication audit. Monitoring of media publications.

abstract, added 01/16/2010


The essence and main characteristics of public opinion. Formation and development of methods of public opinion polls in the United States. Practical use Gallup's methods on the example of the sociological study "How do Russians see the future president".

term paper, added 01/30/2011


Public opinion- the state of mass consciousness associated with the expression of judgments on socially significant problems. The value of public opinion for the legislator. Formation of public opinion. The difference between public opinion and the general will.

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 form it properly. Public opinion really makes sense if you are going to use this opinion for your own purposes, for example, enlist support. But if you worry about public opinion just because it makes you uncomfortable, then you definitely have problems with the right worldview. 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 it all. In fact, there is only the point of view of one person who convinces the rest to accept it.

There is the opinion of one person, which is taken on faith by the rest and accepted as their own, and there is the 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, not everyone will suddenly think the same way, even though we are brought up in this way. One way or another, we see each situation, like each person, in our own way, and we also give our definition to a person. But not everyone has the courage to express their own point of view exclusively. And therefore, sometimes it’s easier to accept someone else’s point of view than to dare to express your own, otherwise, God forbid, you will set others against you.

That is why society is dominated by the point of view of the most courageous and convincing people 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 this or that person, and why do they generally believe 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 self-confident enough, 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 simply not giving a damn about public opinion, which is very unstable, this is certainly a very wise way to not bother yourself 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 that society, whose opinion can be used in your interests, or against you. For example, for a presidential candidate, it is extremely important to form a positive opinion of the society about himself, although by definition he doesn’t give a damn about him, for him people are only means to achieve 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, first of all, his own interests, then you must 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 does not suit you at all. 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, is there any point in even thinking about what others will think about you or what they will say about you, because no matter what they think and say, you depend little on it. If there is still an addiction, 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, it's much more interesting than constantly adjusting to the opinion of those who don't even know what it is.

The term public is used in many senses. In everyday speech, this concept simply means people, members of a given society. Sociologists use this term in two senses: 1) a set of people scattered in space who have similar interests in relation to some object, for example, the public supporting a political movement or party, supporting the undertakings of the government or the president; 2) a lot of people related to ongoing events or actions, divided among themselves on the basis of their attitude to this event, who are able to evaluate or influence the course of this event and discuss its consequences.

Members of the public may not come together as members of the crowd, but each member of the public may communicate with only a subset of the other members of the public. The public maintains internal connections only through the means of mass communication. For this reason, control over the media most often means power over public opinion.

The structure of the public and its opinion are determined by cultural differences and heterogeneity. In a society with a homogeneous culture (a small number of subcultures) there is a public with similar, indistinguishable interests. The presence of a large number of subcultures gives rise to an extremely heterogeneous public, whose groups represent competing directions in the pursuit of their own interests. For example, one part of the public believes that a significant share of the budget should be allocated to environmental issues, another part believes that the money should be spent on the development of national industry, and the third is sure that the same money should be transferred to the Ministry of Defense to maintain Russia's influence on the world stage. The more complex the structure of society, the more positions that members of the public can take on the solution of a particular issue.

The simple stable culture of a society does not usually provide the public with many alternatives pressing issues because the situation can be managed on the basis of traditions and moral norms. For this reason, differences in public opinion for various social groups small and non-conflict. But in a complex, conflicting culture, the points of view of different groups of members of the public on the solution of a problem can be extremely diverse. In other words, it is impossible to manage the emerging situation with the help of a certain set of norms, since these norms are accepted only within certain groups, subcultures of a given society. For example, at present, many members of the public are concerned about the ecological imbalance due to the development of minerals in Siberia, while other groups are interested in developing industry and increasing the extraction of oil and other minerals, believing that any means are acceptable for this. Traditional norms do not allow to resolve this issue, since they can be applied to support both points of view - the preservation of Russia's forests and the increase in its power and influence in the world. Thus, in a complex society, separate segments of public opinion are created, behind which are public groups with their own interests, attitudes and various possibilities influence on the solution of a particular problem. This leads to the need to study and take into account public opinion.

Sociological study of public opinion.

Public opinion and lawmaking.

Concept, signs, structure and functions of public opinion.

Question 1: Concept, signs, structure and functions

Term « public opinion» was introduced by Werner Heisenberg. A multidimensional understanding of such a broad phenomenon in sociology determines the presence of many definitions of this phenomenon. Public opinion in a broad sense is a social institution that influences people's behavior through value judgments formed within large social groups or society as a whole, expressed in the public mind and associated with important events public life(Shikun A.I. Sociology / A.I. Shikun. Minsk, 2005. P. 260.).

Public opinion, from the point of view of V.N. Lavrienko, is the attitude of social communities to the problems of social life, manifested in emotions, judgments, and then practical actions (Sociology / Edited by Lavrienko V.N. M., 1998.).

V.M. Syrykh defines public opinion as a statement on some socially significant issue shared by certain group, a social stratum or society as a whole and recorded in a written document or in another way accessible to the perception of the general public (Sociology of Law / Edited by V.M. Syrykh. M., 2004. P. 417.).

Public opinion can be represented as an attitude, value judgments or practical actions of social communities, recorded in a written document or in another way accessible to the perception of the general public, in which their response to various facts, events or phenomena of public life is expressed. It is also a specific manifestation of social consciousness, a complex spiritual formation, expressed in assessments (both in verbal and non-verbal form) and characterizing an explicit or hidden attitude to actual problems of reality, inherent in individual groups, social communities or society as a whole (A . N. Elsukov).

The essence and content of public opinion is as follows.

1. Public opinion is a specific conclusion of a certain community of people on an important problem, a kind of result of their mental activity.

2. The object of public opinion is only questions that require the development of a general judgment on them.

3. Mass judgments have varying degrees of truth.

4. Public opinion acts as a specific motivating force that regulates behavior.

5. Public opinion is a specific product of people's interaction, a combination of opinions, leveled, changed, forming a new quality, an unconcentrated expression of collective opinion.





TO characteristics of public opinion include the following.

1. It does not include all points of view of individuals, but only those related to the issue in relation to which the given set acts as a community.

2. Public opinion on a given issue and in a given situation may be very different from public opinion on another issue and even on the same issue in another situation.

3. In contrast to the Soviet understanding, in the modern understanding, public opinion must be publicly expressed and brought to the attention of society or a certain community of people, otherwise it will remain a private point of view.

4. Important is the public opinion that is expressed on topical issues, but as a phenomenon it exists constantly in any society.

5. Adequate, reliable public opinion is formed only if the public has access to information on a specific issue (reliable and not reliable).

6. Although public opinion is changeable, it has sufficient stability, certainty and intensity, persists for some time, which allows it to be fixed.

7. The most important feature of public opinion is the absence of a natural self-discovery mechanism.

A developed society has numerous legal channels for expressing public opinion. These include the election of authorities, the separation of powers, the existence of guaranteed civil liberties (freedom of suffrage, freedom of speech, press, assembly, conscience), participation of the population in the discussion of bills, popular legislative initiatives and other means of expressing public opinion (Kasyanov V.V. Sociology of Law / V. V. Kasyanov, V. N. Nechipurenko, Rostov n/D, 2001, p. 401).

Sociology traditionally distinguishes between such types of public opinion , How : spontaneous and purposefully formed ; formed and unformed ; positive, negative and neutral direction ; stable and mobile ; hidden and obvious ; public opinion in politics, law, morality, religion and other areas. In addition, V.M. Syrykh mentions the types of public opinion by the criterion of the degree of intensity (according to the depth of the population's conviction and its position), and by activity (according to the activities of citizens related to the dissemination of their legal position among other members of society) - Sociology of Law / Ed. V.M. Raw. M., 2004. S. 168.

Structure of public opinion , according to G. Hegel, includes :

1) the conditions for the existence of public opinion;

2) object (content) of public opinion;

3) bearer of public opinion;

4) the nature of the judgment acting as public opinion;

5) the ratio of "general" and "special" opinions;

6) combination and opposition, “direct connection of truth and endless delusions” (Hegel G. Philosophy of Law / G. Hegel. M., 1990. S. 353.)

According to V.V. Kasyanov and V.N. Nechipurenko, the structure of public opinion includes rational, emotional and volitional levels. In terms of practical implementation, public opinion has two structural aspects : public assessment (judgment) and public will(Kasyanov V.V. Sociology of Law / V.V. Kasyanov, V.N. Nechipurenko. Rostov n / D, 2001. P. 406.).

object of public opinion have the following characteristics.

1. Only a problem with practical significance is of immediate public interest.

2. The problem is debatable, and at the same time it is necessary to develop a single general judgment on it.

3. Public opinion must have competence, which entails the problem of organic and artificial incompetence of public opinion.

Public opinion may seem contradictory, false, but it cannot be declared incompetent or distorted by primitive stereotypes.

The task of the sociology of public opinion is to identify real conflicts of interest, which makes it possible to find the law-forming interest that the legislator needs.

Big soviet encyclopedia highlights such functions of public opinion as : expressing a position of approval or disapproval of public issues; regulation of the behavior of individuals, social groups ; imposition of certain norms of social relations.

According to V.V. Pripechkin and I.A. Andreeva, public opinion has cognitive, evaluative, adaptive, goal-setting, advisory, managerial functions and function cultural heritage(Sociology / Under the general editorship of V.P. Salnikov. St. Petersburg, 2000. P. 350-352 ; Kasyanov V.V. Sociology of Law / V.V. Kasyanov, V.N. Nechipurenko. Rostov n / D, 2001. S. 406-409.).

Cognitive, i.e. epistemological function of public opinion, expressed as a way and means of knowledge.

Estimated function - the main function of public opinion, expressing the interest-value attitude of a mass social subject to certain phenomena and events social life. It is realized through the expression of approval or disapproval, trust or dissatisfaction of social groups.

Adaptation the function of public opinion is associated with role expectations and is realized in the process of socialization. It actively forms in the subject the desire to fulfill the norms accepted in society and the desire to justify the social expectations placed on him.

Purposeful the function is connected with the participation of public opinion in determining the strategic goals of politics and social management.

Advisory the function implies that on the basis of an analysis of public opinion (for example, based on the results of a referendum), the authorities adjust their decisions and management methods.

managerial function combines regulatory and nomenclature functions. It consists in the regulatory influence of public opinion on social subjects and processes.

Function cultural inheritance is based on the ability of public opinion to socially translate norms, values, traditions, rituals and other components of culture. Public opinion ensures the implementation of certain norms of social relations and serves as the guardian and bearer of traditional moral values, the so-called " folk wisdom”, rituals, customs, prejudices and stereotypes.

Among all the above functions of public opinion, in our opinion, the main ones are evaluative, regulatory and educational, control (expressive), informational (advisory, directive) functions.

There are many approaches to understanding public opinion : according to the criterion of the type of society, according to the essential or final aspect, and so on.

Since the understanding of public opinion is highly dependent on the type of society, it has undergone significant changes throughout history. IN antiquity public opinion is “public opinion,” the opinion of the thinking aristocracy, as Plato wrote, or the sum total of the arithmetic majority, as Protagoras put it. IN Soviet society public opinion was considered not only the explicit, but also the hidden attitude of people to the events and facts of social reality. In modern authoritarian regimes public opinion is not free and is subjected to systematic directed pressure from the ideological media, propaganda agencies, since the authorities constantly appeal to it with the aim of manipulating to justify ruling regime. IN totalitarian regimes The authorities generally do not need social legitimation, and therefore public opinion is ignored.

By essential criterion public opinion is understood as :

1) behavioral response;

2) estimated attitude;

3) a set of judgments, assessments;

4) state of mass consciousness;

5) social institution.

How state of public consciousness public opinion is connected with the expression of judgments on socially significant issues (Lapaeva V.V. Sociology of Law / V.V. Lapaeva. M., 2000. P. 223.) and with the way of reflecting reality at a certain level of social consciousness.

Mass consciousness is a complex formation of a multilevel nature. There are two layers in the structure of mass consciousness : quasi-ideology- a kind of ideological concepts that exist differently than at the level of specialized consciousness; level of ordinary consciousness, which exists at the level of rumors, deeply rooted class, ethnic prejudices, inadequate understanding. That is why the modern researcher E. Noel-Neumann insists on making a distinction between ordinary and social consciousness.

Public opinion reflects the real state of public consciousness in a certain historical period, but is not identified with any of its forms, since it is possible on issues of law or politics, morality or art, religion or science, and so on. Public opinion, being a state of mass consciousness, does not always have a reflexive, conceptual character and is far from always progressive, does not always reflect the ideals of justice and humanism.

How evaluative attitude, set of judgments , public opinion is characterized by the fact that it is always expressed publicly, consists in the approval or condemnation of certain social facts and influences the functioning of society and its institutions, especially the political structure of society. Expressing their judgments, assessments of events, issues, social groups and individuals thereby express public opinion. In the Soviet version, public opinion was viewed as the attitude of the population (overt and covert) to a particular problem.

Speaking of social institution of public opinion , we are talking about an established and functioning special mechanism for responding to socially significant issues by expressing judgments on them by interested members of society, which is not random, sporadic, but is a permanent social factor. The functioning of public opinion as a social institution means that it acts as a kind of "social power", i.e. power endowed with will and capable of subordinating the behavior of the subjects of social interaction. It is obvious that this is possible only where there is a civil society free from the dictates of political power, and where the power takes into account the position of society. The greater the percentage of the population in a society that has its own views, an active life position, and citizenship, the stronger and more effective public opinion is.

The condition for the existence of public opinion as a social institution is to ensure the completeness and freedom of its open expression, which is possible only in a developed civil society. But public opinion, as some sociologists believe, can still exist latently. Decembrist M.S. Lunin wrote : “The people think in spite of deep silence. The proof that he thinks is the millions spent to listen to opinions that prevent him from expressing. Therefore, public opinion always exists, even if its carriers are narrow socially active groups of the population. But it will not always function at the level of a social institution, because it is unacceptable to equate it with the sum of those private opinions that people exchange in a narrow family circle or circle of friends. The social institution of public opinion requires institutional structures, legalized channels for expressing public opinion, and sensitive attention of the authorities to the position of society.

In order for public opinion to receive the status of a social institution, it must have the following properties:

1) always express himself publicly;

2) consist in the approval or condemnation of certain social facts;

3) an important practical problem affecting the essential interests of people should be raised for discussion by the people;

4) the people must have constant access to information on the problem;

5) it influences the functioning of society and its institutions, especially the political structure of society.

Thus, we can conclude that, as a social institution, public opinion does not exist everywhere.

In the final sense, the term "public opinion" is used in the sense :

1) an opinion supported by a real, total number of people, representatives of a social group and subculture in society;

2) the opinion that is dominant among members of the public.

If in the first approach public opinion can be plural due to social inequality in society, in the second - public opinion is the opinion of the majority, a certain consensus of a large number of points of view on the problem under discussion.

As a result of studying the relationship between the quantitative and qualitative aspects of public opinion, we can come to the following conclusions .

1. Any public opinion is not always true, but is always a value judgment of the majority.

3. Public opinion is not just the sum of individual opinions, but their organic fusion, the expression of the collective mind.

4. Public opinion is characterized by unity. Therefore, Jerzy Vyatr wrote about water : “Language habit imposes on public opinion singular...” – Vyatr E. Sociology of political relations / E. Vyatr. M., 1979. S. 395 .

5. Depending on the preferences of the subject, public opinion is positively or negatively directed (rarely neutral).

Question 2: Public opinion and lawmaking

In recent years, the influence of public opinion on legislation has increased. The role of public opinion for the legislator thing is :

1) at the pre-project stage, it helps to identify needs legal regulation;

2) at the design stage of lawmaking, public opinion provides knowledge of the correlation of interests and the possibility of their coordination on legal basis;

3) since in the adopted bill it is necessary to express the general will regarding the most fundamental provisions, public opinion provides information on the compliance of the law with public expectations;

4) after the enactment of the law, the legislator must regularly receive information on the degree of its effectiveness, on the reasons for inefficiency and other points related to the operation of the normative legal act.

Public opinion about the law, its action is one of the main motivating forces, under the influence of which the state is forced to constantly change and improve the current legislation and the practice of its application.

When the legislator takes public opinion into account, it is important to take into account the ratio of the general will and the will of all. J.-J. Rousseau, in his treatise On the Social Contract, noted that the will of all looks after private interests and is only the sum of the expressions of the will of individuals, while general will strives for the benefit of society, observes only common interests (Rousseau J.-J. Treatises / J.-J. Rousseau. M, 1969. S. 173.).

Public opinion is not the general will of the people, but the total expression of the changing judgments of a collection of individuals. The general will is the only point of intersection of opposing expressions of will, the resultant of the direction vectors of various wills, not the position of the majority in public opinion, but the balance of the ratio of wills acceptable to the whole society as the basis for legislation.

However, here the legislator lies in wait will problem. Its essence is reflected in the following points :

1. Public opinion is not the sum of individual wills.

2. In transitional periods, behind polarized points of view, it is difficult or impossible to discern public consent, where the general will is revealed.

3. It is important that the legislature is based on the will and mandate of the people who formed it, and not on changing public opinion. The legislator receives powers not from members of civil society as individuals, but from citizens who have the right to vote. Public opinion is formed by the same people, but in a different capacity - not as citizens-voters, but as private individuals.

The division of a person into “public” and “private” is reflected in the relationship between the legislator and public opinion and can be expressed in the words of K. Adomait : “In public opinion, ideas can be so polarized that there can be no question of any expression of the truth. And at the same time, it is public opinion or the opinion of the majority, expressed through elections and referendums, that determines legislation in a democracy” (K. Adomait. Normative logic - the theory of method - legal political science. Collection of articles on the theory of law / K. Adomait // Public Science Abroad, Series “State and Law”, 1988, No. 3, p. 10). J. Carbonnier also wrote : “Polling public opinion on a national scale is tantamount to revealing the will to create a law” (Carbonne J. Legal Sociology / J. Carbonier. M., 1986. S. 335.).

However, this position is not entirely correct. First, the truth of public opinion does not depend directly on its polarization. Secondly, elections and a referendum do not express public opinion, but the general will, which has received state-legal formalization. Thirdly, even the majority system of elections does not deprive the minority of the right to have their representatives in the legislature, while the assessments are leveled in public opinion. Fourthly, the difficult search for a solution to the problem based on the reconciliation of various social interests in parliament is often preferable to a referendum.

For the legislator, when taking into account public opinion, it is important to avoid two extremes in understanding the role of public opinion. The first extreme concerns the fact that in periods of social instability, when public opinion is excited, its study is necessary in order to avoid social explosions and improve the image of power. At the same time, the presence of competent persons capable of making qualified decisions is still of paramount importance. The second extreme position (J. Carbonnier) requires “legally giving” always and in strict accordance with public opinion (Carbonier J. Legal Sociology / J. Carbonier. M., 1986. P. 335.). A significant drawback of the second position, according to the fair remark of V.V. Lapaeva, is the depreciation of the role of representative bodies - if so, society would not need them (Lapaeva V.V. Sociology of Law / V.V. Lapaeva. M., 2000. P. 246.).

Thus, the legislator must know and take into account public opinion as a source material, but he must not be bound by it as a command of the general will. Public opinion should not be understood as an indicator of the loyalty of the masses to the activities of the authorities and “in which case” neutralized by educating and persuading the population, but it is necessary to study the conflict of needs and interests behind it. It is the consideration of the needs and interests that stand behind it that is more important than the knowledge of public opinion itself.

Question 3: Sociological study of public opinion

In the sociology of law, public opinion is characterized in terms of two equivalent aspects : on the one hand, the subject, level and ways of reflection (epistemological aspect), and, on the other hand, its role in public life (sociological aspect).

The special approach of V.M. Raw to the study of public opinion is that its study does not require mandatory complex mass surveys. Public opinion is objectified in written or other public form and can be studied in detail using document analysis methods. At traditional system methods of its study (possible expert surveys in order to establish the interests expressed by public opinion, the degree of validity of its content, possible ways of implementation) document analysis method takes on paramount importance.

Among the main sources of socio-legal research can be used:

Statements, appeals, other written sources in which public associations, political parties and other collective organizations state the essence and content of public opinion;

Documents adopted as a result of referendums, rallies and other forms of direct democracy;

Publications in the press prepared with the aim of having a positive or negative impact on the processes of forming public opinion;

Position Documents government agencies regarding the studied public opinion and the measures taken by the state (Sociology of Law / Under the editorship of V.M. Syrykh. M., 2004. P. 420.).

Socio-legal research of public opinion and legal matters can act as an opinion that has already been formed and is known to society and the state, as well as an opinion that is in the process of formation. Integral part the subject of socio-legal research can be interests and other social phenomena that served as a pretext for the formation of public opinion, and the very process of forming public opinion.

Thus, subject of socio-legal research public opinion on legal issues is complex nature and includes :

1) the existing public opinion on a particular issue;

2) its genesis, the process of formation and formation, including the social and legal fact that initiated the formation of public opinion;

3) activities of public associations, political parties and mass media in the formation of public opinion.

In the post-Soviet space, the study of public opinion is complicated. This situation is due :

1) lack of methodology for public opinion polls;

2) lack of a representative sample by country;

3) weak material base and insufficient number of centers of sociological services;

4) pluralism of public opinion;

5) the desire of interested persons and organizations to manipulate the results of the survey;

6) deliberate or unconscious misinformation of the legislator;

7) politicized research;

8) the so-called "poll war";

9) commercialization of research;

10) the lack of theoretical understanding of the collected rich empirical material on the study of public opinion.

Actual problem in the study of public opinion is pluralism of public opinion . Among its reasons are various social statuses in different social groups and individuals and the outstripping development of economy over consciousness. Concerning the pluralism of public opinion task of the sociology of law consists of :

1) identifying the moment of agreement with the main provisions of the bill of that part of the population whose interests it affects;

2) revealing real conflicts of people's interests in public opinion;

3) reducing the level of uncertainty of public opinion.

Finding agreement with the main provisions of the bill is important because the law is a general rule that expresses the general interest. And, having identified real conflicts of interest, the sociologist will find the law-forming interest that the law-giver needs.

Since it is not completely clear what is behind the term "public opinion" - the specific opinion of real people representing a certain social stratum and subculture, or some kind of abstraction obtained as a result of generalizing their statements - then the problem of reducing the level of uncertainty of public opinion also belongs to the category of permanent. Reducing the level of uncertainty of public opinion is achieved by studying :

1) the direction of public opinion - the assessment of a particular social phenomenon prevailing in the responses;

2) intensity, i.e. an indicator of the firmness and certainty of the expression of public opinion (it manifests itself in the peculiarities of the wording, which may have a certain degree of evasiveness, or may be harsh and not allowing for interpretation);

3) the degree of integration - an indicator of the unity of public opinion, which can be almost unanimous, or can be split, with deep disagreements (Kasyanov V.V. Sociology of Law / V.V. Kasyanov, V.N. Nechipurenko. Rostov n / D, 2001. S. 405.).

The problem of disinformation of the legislator is that the media, as a result of the announcement of public opinion, can cause the desired social reaction through specially developed technologies for presenting information. To avoid this, the results of the research should be subjected to a special examination for reliability, for example, by an independent parliamentary sociological service (Lapaeva V.V. Public opinion and legislation / V.V. Lapaeva // sociological research. 1997. No. 9. S. 16-28.). Note that independent studies include studies conducted in parallel. An effective means of combating disinformation of the legislator is legislation that clearly regulates the requirements for conducting and publishing the results of public opinion polls. By the way, in the West there are strict laws regarding the requirements for the process of publishing the results of the survey. Foreign electoral legislation requires the media, when publishing the results of public opinion polls related to elections and a referendum, to indicate : time and place of the event ; population size ; sample (number of respondents) ; representativeness error ; information collection method ; exact wording of the question ; statistical estimate of the possible error ; the presence or absence of a parallel study. However, in other cases, the media often act arbitrarily, which allows them to manipulate the mass consciousness with the help of sociological information.

To study public opinion using the survey method, special research centers were created. The most famous of them is the Gallup Institute, which has branches in all regions of the globe. According to the same scheme, the All-Union Center for the Study of Public Opinion was created, later renamed the All-Russian Center. In Minsk, during the formation of the sovereign Belarusian state, a Research Center"Public Opinion", later transformed into the Center for Sociological and Political Studies of the BSU. It is no coincidence that among social customers the authorities government controlled different levels occupy a special place. Public opinion is used to make management decisions and evaluation of their performance. Only in Minsk, the National Center for Legislation and Legal Research of the Republic of Belarus, the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Analytical Center ( former Institute socio-political research under the administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus), the Minsk Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Research, the Center for Future Studies "Eridan", the Center "Novak" and others, in addition, in all regional centers In Belarus, similar research tasks are performed by regional sociological institutes (centers) for socio-political research (Mogilev), Centers and research groups (Gomel, Brest, Grodno, Vitebsk, Mozyr, etc.), uniting university scientists and representatives of executive power (Lapina S. V. Sociology of law: answers to examination questions / S. V. Lapina, I. A. Lapina, Minsk, 2008. P. 70.).

General conclusion is that the sociology of public opinion is a complex sociological discipline, the subject of which is the establishment of the mechanism and patterns of functioning of the evaluative attitude of large social groups. As can be seen, public opinion is one of the social phenomena that are very difficult to comprehensively analyze and rigorously define.

Questions and tasks

1. Which of the known approaches to understanding public opinion seems to be the most justified?

2. In what hypostases can public opinion act? What is meant by the social institution of public opinion? What does it mean to understand public opinion as a state of mass consciousness?

3. In your opinion, is the institution of public opinion formed in the Republic of Belarus? Why?

4. At what stage of the process of social action of law does public opinion play the greatest role? Why?

5. Give examples of discrepancy between a legislative decision and public opinion. Who was right, from your point of view, in these cases?

6. Can the results of the republican and local referendums be considered as a reflection of public opinion? Justify your answer.

7. What is the problem of misinforming the legislator through public opinion?

8. What difficulties do you know in studying public opinion?

9. Conduct a public opinion survey on a law-related issue in your study group.

10. Suggest your own ways to reduce the uncertainty of public opinion.

11. Indicate the differences in the public opinion of Americans, Russians and our compatriots about the work of rule-making bodies (or about the implementation of citizens' legislative initiatives).

Main literature on the topic

Grevtsov Yu.I. Sociology of law : Course of lectures / Yu.I. Grevtsov. SPb., 2001.

Kasyanov V.V. Sociology of law : Proc. allowance for university students / V.V. Kasyanov, V.N. Nechipurenko. Rostov n/a, 2002.

Carbonier J. Legal Sociology / J. Carbonier. M., 1986.

Kudryavtsev V.N. Modern sociology of law : Textbook for universities / V.N. Kudryavtsev, V.P. Kazimirchuk. M., 1995.

Kulchar K. Fundamentals of sociology of law / K. Kulchar. M., 1981.

Lapaeva V.V. Sociology of law : Brief training course/ V.V. Lapaev. M., 2000.

Perevalov V.D. Legal sociology / V.D. Passes. M., 2000.

Podguretsky A. Essay on the sociology of law / A.M. Podguretsky. M., 1974.

Sociology : Textbook for law schools / Ed. V.P. Salnikov. SPb., 2000.

Sociology of law : Textbook / Ed. V.M. Raw. M., 2002.

Legal sociology : Textbook for high schools. M., 2000.