Description:
According to Amy Fried, public opinion is more than the sum of a pollster's tally; instead, it as a political tool, integral to the political process, where vested interests compete to legitimize their interpretation of the public voice. Fried explores the construction, interpretation, and uses of public opinion, raising important questions about the media and the role of special interest groups in determining policy.
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Review Quotes: A masterful combination of theorizing and rich data analysis that provides a deeper and richer account of public opinion than has hitherto been published. This lucid account is an invaluable addition to the literature on public opinion. I also found it to be a major contribution to empirical democratic theory.