A. What is Public Opinion

1. Not a monolithic entity
2. Collective expression Of many individuals
3. Self-Interest drives public opinion formation
4. Opinion Not Long-Lived Without Ongoing Self- Interest
5. Events trigger PO formation, and opinion is sensitive to events
6. Opinions form more readily for Goals than for Solutions to Achieve Goals

B. Opinion leaders as Catalysts

1. Definition

a. Highly Interested in Issue
b. Better informed about it than Average Person
c. Avid Consumer of Mass Media
d. Early Adopter Of New Ideas
e. Good Orginizers To Rally People

2. Types of Leaders

a. Formal Opinion Leaders
 (elected officials, heads of companies, etc)
b. Informal Opinion Leaders
 (those who have clout, influence with peers, role models)

3. The Flow of Opinion

a. Two-Step Flow Theory
b. Multiple-Step Flow Model

4. The Media's Role

a. Agenda Setting Theory.
By selecting stories and headlines, mass media tell public “what to think about.”
b. Media Dependency Theory.
Media Dependency may increase media influence
c. Framing Theory.
How media choose facts, theme, and even words to frame a story. This could impact public understanding and policy formation.
d. Cultivation Theory.
Media can influence our beliefs and behaviors if the message is repeated often enough. Gerbner’s TV influence study.

C. Persuasion

1. Uses of Persuasion

a. Change Or Neutralize Hostile Opinions
b. Crystallize Latent Opinions And Positive  Attitudes
c. Conserve Favorable Opinions

D. Factors in Persuasive Communication

1. Audience Analysis
Messages should be tailored to audience’s demographics and psychographics (lifestyles, beliefs and concerns)

2. Source Credibility
    --The Three Factors

a. Expertise
b. Sincerity
c. Charisma

3. Appeal to Self-Interest
4. Clarity of Message
5. Timing and Context
6.  Audience Participation
7.  Suggestions for Action
8.  Conlent and Structure of Messages

a. Drama
b. Statistics
c. Surveys and Polls
d. Examples
e. Testimonials
f. Endorsements
g. Emotional Appeals

E. Limitations on Persuasion

a. Lack of Message Penetration
b. Competing Messages
c. Self-Selection
d. Self-Perception

F. The Ethics of Persuasion: Some Guidelines

1. Do Not Use False Evidence
2. Do Not Use Illogical, Unsupported Reasoning
3. Do Not Falsely Represent Yourself
4. Do Not Conceal Your Purpose or Interest
5. Do Not Cover Up Consequences
6. Do Not Use Baseless Emotional Appeals
7. Do Not Oversimplify Complex Situations
8. Do Not Pretend Certainty
9. Do Not Advocate What You Don't Believe Yourself

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last updated 3-21-2000 by gregg elkins

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