La opinión pública es la tendencia o preferencia, real o estimulada, de una sociedad o de un individuo hacia hechos sociales que le reporten interés. La opinión pública ha sido el concepto dominante en lo que ahora parece referirse a la comunicación política. Y es que después de muchos intentos y de una más o menos larga serie de estudios, la experiencia parece indicar que opinión pública implica muchas cosas a la vez, pero, al mismo tiempo, ninguna de ellas domina o explica el conjunto. Además, con el predominio de los medios de comunicación modernos, en una sociedad masificada el territorio de la opinión parece retomar un nuevo enfoque. También es necesario considerar que la opinión pública tiene una amplia tradición como campo de estudio. Y aún cuando se relaciona estrechamente con la democracia, se diferencia de ésta. Es decir, la opinión pública constituye sólo un sector dentro del amplio espectro de la comunicación política.

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The desires, wants, and thinking of the majority of the people - or the collective opinion of the people of a society or state on an issue or problem - is called public opinion. The English term "public opinion" dates back to the seventeenth century work by John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, which contains an early consideration of the importance of public opinion in the ordering of politics. The term was derived from the French word l’opinion, which was first used in 1588 by Michel de Montaigne. This concept came about through the process of urbanization and other political and social forces. For the first time, it became important what people thought, as forms of political contention changed. It was introduced by James Madison that for a government to be democratic, it would be essential to have strong and knowledgeable citizens that hold educated opinions that could be shared and expressed. Active citizens would then use this knowledge to participate in their government, while also being able to inform other citizens of current issues. In terms of political science, public opinion is defined as being “the aggregate of public attitudes or beliefs about government or politics”. Public opinion is considered to be the factor that guides an indirect democratic government. It is only through the approval of the public that a government gains the authority to function. Public opinion is thought to develop from these main sources: “political socialization, education, life experience, political parties, the media, and the government”. Public opinion is considered a dynamic part of today’s government. Continually changing, it has the power and influence to shape the government in new ways.

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