Agencies (helping in expression and formation) of Public Opinion: There are informal and formal agencies of formation and expression of the public opinion. These are:
1. Political Socialisation:
(a) Political socialisation is the basic process through which every individual is oriented in respect political issues. A human being lives and grows in family, neighbourhood, friends, the locality and the region. The orientation of attitudes, beliefs and values towards the political system acquire shape in association of there groups.
(b) The most influential in personality formation and character building are the family
and the peer group. They provide the basic mould in influencing the ideas and opinions of the individual. The orientation of individuals through this process determines their views and reactions towards political issues.
2. Print-Media or Press: The print media includes newspaper, periodicals, pamphlets, journals, leaflets, etc. Press or print media supplies the news regarding all political and social happenings in the world. It throws a flood of light on current issues. In fact press is regarded as the watchdog of democracy by carrying the voice of the public to the government. People express their criticism or support in the form of articles or letters to editors, or comments through press. Hence, make the government responsible and answerable. In fact, government also propagates its policies and programmes through advertisements media. It tries to highlight its achievements and try to make public opinion in its favour.
3. Radio and Television: Electronic media, i.e.Radio and Television act as a mirror of social life. Print media influences only the educated. The electronic media plays an important part in collecting the information and moulding the thoughts of the uneducated masses also. The audio-visual media is used as a powerful means for bringing about social transformation and setting up a new social order free from social evils. It is used to educate the masses on certain sensitive issues like casteism, communalism violence, etc. Through radio and television masses communicate their feelings and opinions towards various government policies and programmes. Nowadays television is considered most effective agencies of formation and expression of public pinion.
4. Cinema: Cinema has been the traditional medium of entertainment and awareness. The cinema caters to the artistic and intellectual needs of the people. It cultivates the new ideas and norms in the society on political and social problems. Feature films and documentary films have their natural impact on the thinking of the people. This audio visual method can even influence the illiterates.
5. Public Meetings: Public meetings or platforms are effective means of moulding public opinion for different social, cultural, intellectual and political activities. They address the public issues and are able to gather huge crowds through lectures, seminars, symposia, workshops and conferences. They try to establish personal and emotional bonds with the public and motivate them towards positive and healthy steps.
6. Political parties and their activities: Political parties formulate and organise public opinion. They are called mobilisers of opinion. Political parties not only make the people aware of various public issues. Their purpose is to make the people politically conscious to think about public problems. Political parties publish journals, pamphlets, leaflets, manifestoes, posters, etc. to mould the public opinion in their favour.
7. Opinion Polls: Opinion polls serve to indicate public opinion at the time of their being taken. They are a very effective way of gathering information about public attitude and opinion on various political, social, cultural, economical etc. matters. They are normally conducted by professional agencies selecting representative samples of population. Of late they are becoming a very useful and popular method to understand and analyse public opinion.
8. Educational Institutions: They include schools, colleges, literary clubs, study circles, universities, libraries etc. They can mould public opinion to a great extent. The adolescents get easily swayed by the opinion of others. Therefore, the right kind of training is very important for this age group. Eminent leaders, scholars and educationists help in moulding their leadership qualities and help in creating public opinion through Debates, Talks, Seminars etc. Various co-curricular activities like Drama, Symposium, Painting/Slogan writing competition, etc. also prove very effective in sensitising the students on important national and international issues.
