(a) Define public opinion.
(b) What are its characteristics?
Explanation
(a) Public Opinion can be defined as the attitudes, beliefs, values, which are seen to be commonly held and expressed by a majority of the citizens on a given political issue.
(b) Characteristic of Public Opinion are:
(i) Public Opinion is seen as opinion shared by the majority of the people.
(ii) Issues about the public are the central factors in public opinion.
(iii) Communication and information are essential factors in the formation of public opinion.
(iii) It is dynamic and changes with time.
(iv) Public opinion is not held on a general public issue but on specific issues of the state.
(v) It is also seen as an expression made by private individuals, not the government or any public institutions.