Social Theory and Public Opinion

Posted: 16 Jul 2011

See all articles by Andrew Perrin

Andrew Perrin

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill

Katherine McFarland

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill

Date Written: August 2011

Abstract

Any study of public opinion must consider the ontological status of the public being represented. In this review, we outline several empirical problems in current public opinion research and illustrate them with a contemporary case: public opinion about same-sex marriage. We then briefly trace historical attempts to grapple with the public in public opinion and then present the most thoroughgoing critiques and defenses of polling. We detail four approaches to the ontology and epistemology of public opinion. We argue for a conceptualization of public opinion that relies upon polling techniques alongside other investigative modes but that understands public opinion as dynamic, reactive, and collective. Publics are shaped by techniques that represent them, including public opinion research.

Suggested Citation

Perrin, Andrew and McFarland, Katherine, Social Theory and Public Opinion (August 2011). Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 37, pp. 87-107, 2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1886852 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.012809.102659

Andrew Perrin (Contact Author)

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill ( email )

102 Ridge Road
Chapel Hill, NC NC 27514
United States

Katherine McFarland

University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill ( email )

102 Ridge Road
Chapel Hill, NC NC 27514
United States

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