Almond-Lippmann consensus

The Almond-Lippmann consensus states that public opinion:

#is volatile or irrational, thus dubious foundation upon which to base foreign policy
#lacks structure/consistency, so much so that many have described people as possessing non-attitudes
#is devoid of interest and is susceptible to manipulation, reasons it should not be studiedcite book |author=Peres, Yoḥanan; Yuchtman-Yaar, Ephraim |authorlink= |editor= |others= |title=Between consent and dissent: democracy and peace in the Israeli mind |edition= |language= |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |location=Lanham, Md |year=2000 |origyear= |pages= |quote= |isbn=0-8476-9712-6 |oclc= |doi= |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=N7_KtS8y-R8C&pg=PA10&dq=%22Almond-Lippmann+consensus%22&lr=lang_en&num=50&as_brr=3&ei=O0laSNmcD6a4iQGWgu2JAg&sig=ns45e7hIJ_ZQL2Igas2s0B8NdDE|accessdate=]

These conclusions were made shortly after World War II when public polling became a major tool for political scientists. Based on their data they decided that on a whole public opinion was not to be relied upon.

Later others would challenge and change this idea of public opinion.

Notes