Description
Book SynopsisThe first study of opinion polls using an interdisciplinary approach combining cultural studies, sociology, political science, and mass communication. Rather than dismissing polls, Lewis considers them a significant form of representation in contemporary culture; he explores how the media report on polls and, in turn, how publicized results influence the way people respond to polls.
Trade ReviewVery well written and shows that cultural studies and quantitative data are not necessarily incompatible. International Journal of Public Opinion Research
Table of ContentsIntroduction Part One: The Representation of Public Opinion 1. Why Numbers Matter and Why We Should Be Suspicious of Them 2. Who's In and Who's Out: Public Opinion as a Cultural Form 3. Suppressing Dissent: The Media Representation of Public Opinion Part Two: The Formation of Public Opinion 4. Getting the Right Response? Media Influence on Public Opinion 5. What Are Opinions and Where Do They Come From? 6. The Ideology of Assumptions 7. Flickering the Embers of Consent: Public Opinion and the Military Industrial Complex 8. Selling Unrepresentative Democracy Conclusion: Hegemony and Its Discontents Appendix
