Polling and public opinion a Canadian perspective - Butler, Peter Marshall (University of Toronto Press, 2007)
Includes bibliographical references (p. [173]-185) and index
Machine generated contents note - 1 - Polling and understanding public opinion -- - 2 - Methods of collecting opinions -- - 3 - Public opinion and the mass media -- - 4 - Public opinion polls and social policy
"In Polling and Public Opinion Peter M. Butler examines the impact that polls have on the thoughts and behaviour of the public. He considers the power of public opinion polls as an element of mass persuasion in media stories, advertising, and government policy. Using such controversial issues such as free trade, health care, same-sex marriage, and national security, Butler argues that popular opinion on such hot-button topics as these can be guided and changed according to how polls are interpreted for and presented to the public. As well as analysing the impact of polls on the public, Butler is concerned with demystifying the methods by which opinions are collected, showing that the techniques used to determine public opinion can be just as selective as those by which the results are disseminated. Focusing on many of the vital issues of our time, Polling and Public Opinion is an in-depth look at the rise of one of the most important but least understood methods by which politicians and governments gauge the popular will."--Jacket