10.02.202227.05.2017

Conclusion

Analyzing the deviant and delinquent behavior of minors, I note that it depends on biological (predisposition to nervous or mental illness) and social (family, school, friends) factors.

Thus, taking into account these factors, it is necessary to build a system for educating adolescents. Or contact social services for help.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Gilinsky Ya.I. Sociology of deviant behavior as a sociological theory//Socis. - 1991. - No. 4.
2. Ivanov V.I. Deviant Behavior: Causes and Scales//Socio-Political Journal. - 1995. - No. 2.
3. Craig G. Psychology of development. - St. Petersburg, 2001
4. Mozhginsky Yu. B. Aggression of a teenager: emotional and crisis mechanism. - St. Petersburg, 1999
5. Shilova V.N. Sociology of deviant behavior // Sociological research. - 1994. - No. 11.

Question number 2. Ways of forming public opinion.

The public opinion of a social community is a specific way of manifesting the state of consciousness of this community, which indirectly and generally reflects the attitude of the majority of its members to facts, events, phenomena in objective or subjective reality that aroused their interest and discussion, and which is embodied in value judgments or practical actions of members. this community.

Such a noticeable increase in interest in public opinion has its own explanation.:

First, as a peculiar phenomenon of spiritual life, public opinion is directly connected with the material carrier, which determines the real strength of this opinion, its features and properties. At the same time, the broader strata act as the bearer of public opinion, the more social authority and effectiveness it differs, the more it makes one consider itself.

Secondly, in each specific case, public opinion is rooted in certain needs and interests of people, declaring by the very fact of its existence the importance of taking them into account and satisfying them.

Thirdly, public opinion as a socio-psychological phenomenon is an active stimulator of social actions and actions of the masses, capable of giving them a wide scope and stability for various, often quite long periods of time.

Fourthly, the ever-expanding practice of real, informal elections of leading bodies, economic managers of all ranks, voluntarily or involuntarily, forces to keep abreast of public opinion even those who do not yet fully understand the importance of studying and taking into account public opinion in everyday practical work.

Public opinion is a specific manifestation of public consciousness, expressed in assessments (both verbally and in writing) and characterizing the explicit (or hidden) attitude of large social groups (primarily the majority of the people) to topical problems of reality that are of public interest.

Representatives of different classes often put different content into it. This happened because public opinion reflects the real state of public consciousness, the interests, moods and feelings of classes and social groups in society. In public opinion, a specific state of public consciousness is manifested in one or another historical period of time. It focuses on certain aspects, processes of being. The content of public opinion is an indicator of the depth of reflection, knowledge of these processes, the expression of their assessment from the point of view of the interests of a social group, class, people as a whole. Public opinion and public consciousness are in complex connections and relationships. Public consciousness, according to many scientists, is a set of theories, ideas, views that reflect real social life, the historical process. They are generated by certain material conditions of people's lives. The structure of the real content of social consciousness is extremely complex. It has several forms. Most often, such forms are political ideas, legal consciousness, morality, science, art, religion, philosophy, ecology and economics, etc. These forms differ from each other in the way they reflect reality, the features of their development, etc., but first of all, its subject matter. Each form of consciousness reflects a certain side of reality: morality, for example, deals with the norms of human behavior in society, the principles that regulate it, science examines the laws of nature and society, political ideology deals with political relations (state, class, national, etc.). .). The object of public opinion are specific topics on which the point of view of an individual, group or public is expressed or can be expressed, and the process of material production, and events taking place in the sphere of the spiritual life of society, and the behavior of fans in the stadium, the audience in the theater, political leaders. Public opinion has 3 important points:

Public opinion is formed there and then when a problem of great practical importance is brought up for discussion by the people, that is, a problem (question) that affects the social interests of people (economic, social, political, spiritual life).

Public opinion most often concerns issues related to politics, law, morality or art, where there is more controversial and affecting our interests. The subject of consideration of the public most often are those forms of public consciousness, those issues that involve differences in assessments, characteristics, i.e., contain a moment of discussion.

In addition, we should not forget about the third condition for the formation of public opinion - the level of competence. If a person is unfamiliar with any issue under discussion, then when asked for an opinion, he most often answers: “I don’t know.” But such an option is also possible when a person simply does not have enough knowledge to argue, discuss the issue.

It is well known that our planet is divided into countries. Countries are inhabited by people who are called society. Each of the residents has a certain opinion on various topics: politics, economics, culture, family, work, entertainment, and so on. If you ask certain questions to the inhabitants of the country, it turns out that the answers of the inhabitants to some of them can coincide by 60-70%. These are key questions, and they are a barometer of the public mindset, which can be used to draw conclusions about how the majority of the population evaluates their life in this country in relation to politics, economics, and culture. This so-called public opinion is the most important indicator and indicator of society and the country as a whole.. Public opinion has always existed. The first law of public opinion says: the head of the country, before making a fateful decision, must study public opinion on this issue. If he gets 60% approval, then he can start acting. For example, start a war with another state or sell part of the territory. In violation of the first law of public opinion, as in the violation of any physical law, the violator will be punished. In 1918, Tsar Nicholas was executed by the Bolsheviks. This is as simple a law as the law of outdoor temperature. If you go outside dressed lightly when it's cold, then your punishment is illness.

Newspapers and political parties have long been the means of shaping public opinion. The authorities are interested in shaping certain views in society and make certain attempts to influence society with the help of newspapers and radio, as well as with the help of parties. The party is a pyramidal structure that captures all strata of society, united by strict one-man management. The leader of the party, through his members and activists, influences the public opinion of the country, using newspapers, leaflets and live campaigning. Activists are also a means of feedback, which report to the leader what people think. Then, in the 20th century, radio appears, the second largest medium for shaping and directing public opinion in one direction or another. People buy radios and put them in their apartment. Goebbels propaganda used the radio to its fullest. In the era of Hitler, the first public opinion polls appear. A public opinion poll is a feedback between the authorities and society. The authorities need to know what the result of a certain campaign for the formation of certain beliefs, as well as the rating of the means of forming public opinion, in order to effectively invest in parties, newspapers or radio.

The mass communication activity of a modern person, associated with the consumption, use and production of mass information, with total prevalence and accessibility, information becomes a necessary condition and means of carrying out almost any social activity: socio-political, cognitive, labor, etc. However, this happens only when when the content and form of mass media changes in accordance with the information interests and needs of people. Satisfying the information needs of the audience must be included among the goals of the communicator as a goal-means to achieve other, managerial tasks of mass impact.

In the life of society, its various social institutions, a real and very tangible place is occupied by the so-called unverified oral information, which is usually referred to as rumors, rumors, rumors, etc. According to T. Shibutani, rumors are based on an event that has two qualities: importance and uncertainty. If the event is not important and does not have uncertainty, then there will be no rumors about it.

Another way of forming public opinion is public relations.

PR is one of the functions of management that promotes the establishment and maintenance of communication, mutual understanding, location and cooperation between the organization and its public. They include the solution of various problems: provide the management of the organization with information about public opinion and assist it in developing response measures: ensure the activities of management in the public interest; keep it in a state of readiness for various changes by anticipating trends in advance; use research and open communication as the main means of action. PR, by promoting mutual understanding between individual groups and organizations, help our complex pluralistic society to make decisions and act more effectively. They ensure the harmonization of private and public activities. PRs serve many public institutions: businesses, trade unions, foundations, government agencies, voluntary associations, hospitals, educational and religious organizations.

In addition, it is important to note that the concept of “public relations” includes:

Anything that can conceivably improve mutual understanding between an organization and those with whom that organization comes into contact, both internally and externally.

Activities aimed at identifying and eliminating rumors or other sources of misunderstanding.

Activities aimed at expanding the sphere of influence of the organization by means of appropriate propaganda, advertising, exhibitions, video and film screenings.

Any action aimed at improving contacts between people or organizations.

tags: Need , Public , Interest , Individual , Individual , Collective , Person , Social

6.1. Objective conditions and subjective factors in the formation and functioning of public opinion

All "sources" of public opinion can be divided into two groups - objective conditions and subjective factors in the development of public opinion.

Under "objective" factors is understood direct impact on the consciousness of people of the surrounding conditions of life, direct the influence of life circumstances (individual life experience, existing traditions, etc.).

This influence is carried out objectively, i.e., regardless of people's consciousness.

Any factors that influence public opinion pass through.

The objective conditions and prerequisites for public opinion are: individual needs, collective interests and attitudes, social problems, etc., which are formed in certain economic (quality of life, etc.), political

(the level of freedom of citizens, etc.), cultural (the level of development of spiritual needs, etc.) and other conditions.

Individual needs and interests. In almost all specific sociological studies aimed at studying this or that public opinion, it is individual ones that come first: what products a person prefers to buy and consume; what cultural values and political priorities this or that individual or social groups are guided by, etc. Needs are found in inclinations, desires and other manifestations of a person. They do not remain unchanged, but change depending on the growth of the quality of life of both the individual and this or that community.

Like any phenomenon of the reality around us, public opinion on certain issues goes through various stages - it is born, reaches a certain maturity and dies or realizes itself in specific manifestations of life. Therefore, it goes through certain stages. The word "stage" in the dictionary of the Russian language by S.I. Ozhegov is explained as "a separate moment, a stage of some process". To present the general picture, one can single out the following stages in the development of public opinion: formation, functioning, expression, implementation in practice [p.62]. Each stage has its own characteristics, although they are closely interconnected, as if "overlapping" partially each other.

An analysis of the scientific literature shows that researchers have several approaches to identifying stages. So, A.K. Uledov, considering the process of forming public opinion, identifies the following stages. The first is the emergence of feelings and ideas in the sphere of individual consciousness. The second is the exchange of information between people. “At this stage,” A.K. Uledov believes, “opinion crosses the boundaries of individual consciousness and captures the sphere of public consciousness. From the moment of exchange of opinions, from the moment of discussions and discussions, strictly speaking, the process of formation of public opinion proper begins.

We observe a different approach from the Bulgarian researcher D. Ganchev. He singles out 5 stages in the process of forming public opinion.

The first stage is characterized by indirect or direct perception or receipt of certain information about individual events and phenomena from public life. At this stage, certain feelings, ideas about events, facts and problems arise.

At the second stage, there is an individual comprehension of the information received, its direct perception and evaluation in the sphere of individual consciousness. Based on their own experience, interests and specific conditions, a personal opinion is formed.

At the third stage in the process of discussion, discussion, there is an exchange of opinions, assessments and attitudes of people and social groups to this problem. Based on this, a struggle arises between various individual opinions, points of view. Both individual and public consciousness are involved in this process of forming appropriate opinions.

At the fourth stage, individual opinions and points of view are sequentially grouped and united around the general fundamental foundations of the problems under discussion. At this stage, a single public opinion crystallizes and forms.

At the fifth stage, the formed public opinion manifests itself and functions.

The most fruitful, in our opinion, is the approach of A.A. Weissburg, because it allows, together with the stages, to consider the system of methods for forming public opinion. He distinguishes four successively interconnected stages. In the future, when analyzing the stages, we will also consider a system of methods corresponding to each of them: methods for identifying individual opinions, methods for developing correct judgments, methods for generalizing and combining individual opinions.

The first stage is the clarification and study of individual opinions. Its purpose is to obtain detailed information about the value judgment of the team on a particular issue. The task is to get a "cut" of the level of mass consciousness, to establish the alignment of forces, to determine the position of everyone in this matter, to penetrate into the motivational environment of people's judgments and actions, to draw up a differentiated program for further educational influences. This stage has its own methods - methods for identifying individual opinions.

It should be noted that the governing bodies of the university seek to direct the activities of faculties, student groups so that their will and the will of the members of these teams are unified, so that their opinion is the opinion of the majority of consumers of educational services. To do this, it is necessary first of all to find out the nature of individual or group opinions and judgments on any phenomenon, event, fact. Lack of prior information about judgments hinders the process of forming a healthy, productive public opinion.

The scientific literature emphasizes that the identification of opinions can be carried out by various methods. We will consider only some of them, most specifically and directly related to public opinion.

Observation is one of the most widespread and most used methods of studying public opinion, which manifests itself through oral speech and various human behaviors. Observation is a complex objective process of reflecting reality. Its complexity is due to the fact that processes and phenomena are observed in a direct and natural setting. In most cases, the role of the researcher is "passive", since he only fixes the opinion or attitude of people towards processes, facts and phenomena. The use of observation as a method makes it possible to study public opinion in the broadest sense.

Note that public opinion is not always expressed openly, which limits the possibilities for its recording only by objective methods. To study the reflection of the immediate facts of consciousness, specific methods are used - interviews and questionnaires. D. Ganchev points out that when using these methods, the information received usually comes in the form of a verbal or written judgment and message. It makes it possible to reveal some points related to the internal motivation of the subjects, with its specific actions in the past and present, plans, ideals, etc. . The interview and the questionnaire allow to reveal new aspects of the functioning opinion. These meto-68s

dy create great opportunities for representativeness, efficiency and breadth of coverage of the study.

In the sociological literature there is no single point of view on the criteria for classifying the types of interviews and questionnaires. Usually, the main features of interviews and questionnaires are the nature and volume of the studied population, the forms of research, the way of communication between the subjects and the researcher, the way to ask questions, the use of technical means.

All these elements can be summarized and included in three main requirements: 1) the nature of the information; 2) the way it is received; 3) organization of the study. On the basis of these features, scientists distinguish the following types of specific methods for studying the reflection of the direct facts of consciousness: interview - free, semi-free and standard; interview - by phone, individual and collective; questionnaire - direct and indirect.

The second stage - the development of correct value judgments - is characterized by the breaking of established erroneous ideas and changes in the structure of consciousness, which is achieved by the organization of appropriate activities and purposeful ideological influence.

It must be borne in mind that the process of forming public opinion requires the inclusion of individuals in active socially useful activities, it favors the enrichment of their life experience. However, it is impossible not to take into account at the same time that the individual's comprehension of only his own experience does not yet give him the opportunity to develop correct judgments. As emphasized by A.A. Weissburg, "In the process of accumulating personal experience that is not related to the use of means of ideological and political education, as a rule, ordinary consciousness is formed, which, due to primitivism and subjectivism, does not always provide a correct understanding of public interests by people" .

In pedagogy, the point of view is widespread that the ideological influence of the organizers involved in the formation of public opinion, the media, increases the level of individual consciousness of people, helps them to more clearly understand the meaning of social experience, to turn scientific knowledge on a particular issue into a personal opinion, contributes to the qualitative growth of value judgments.

The effectiveness of explanatory work depends on many factors. A.A. Weissburg highlights the main ones - content and consistency; the connection of ideas brought into the minds of people with public and personal interests and needs; the authority of the source of influence.

Therefore, it is possible to achieve a qualitative growth in value judgments using methods for developing correct judgments. The most common of these are methods of verbal influence. Let's call them.

Suggestion is a way of influencing the mental sphere of a person, associated with a decrease in consciousness and criticality in the perception and implementation of the suggested content, with the absence of a purposeful active understanding of it, a detailed logical analysis and evaluation in relation to past experience and the current state of the subject (N. I. Platonov, V.N. Myasishchev and others). Suggestion is carried out in the form of heterosuggestion (influence from outside) and autosuggestion (self-suggestion). The object of hetero-suggestion (suggerond) can be either an individual or a group, social stratum, etc. The source of suggestion (suggestor) is an individual, a group, the media.

In the process of suggestion, an attitude is formed to perceive information in a certain way, from an appropriate angle of view. Such an attitude precedes any perception of new information, puts it in connection with the existing one. Suggestion is carried out through speech and in the case when it meets the confidence of the object of suggestion.

The next method is persuasion. Persuasion is understood as a method used in communication to influence the consciousness of a person through an appeal to her own critical judgment. The basis of the method of persuasion is selection, the logical ordering of facts and conclusions according to a single functional task.

In addition to those noted above, the subject of our research interest is a number of other features, called by researchers in relation to propaganda. Let's single them out. Firstly, the persuasive effect appeals primarily to the mind of people and involves a reasoned proof of the ideas and views being disseminated. Secondly, the transmitted information is linked to the public, collective and personal interests of people, which leads to the fact that the adoption of certain ideas and views occurs through awareness of their social and personal significance. Thirdly, beliefs, affecting the needs and interests of people, affect their feelings. Fourthly, persuasive influence leads to the emergence of people's confidence in the correct assessment of the phenomena of reality and knowledge about them, to the formation of readiness to act in accordance with special knowledge. Thus, persuasive influence, due to the noted and other features inherent in it, occupies a leading place in the formation of public opinion.

The holistic process of the formation and functioning of public opinion is most strongly influenced by the press, radio and television. Like other methods and areas of work, the media perform the same tasks: they form worldviews and beliefs, influence the social activity and behavior of people in various situations, contribute to the psychological unification of people based on common feelings, interests and aspirations, form public opinion and political moods.

At the same time, they have some specific features associated with the formation of public opinion. These features, according to D. Ganchev, can be grouped, meaning:

firstly, the scope, focus and speed of information impact;

secondly, power, communicativeness, constancy and variety of ideological influence;

thirdly, a peculiar and effective form of unity of propaganda, agitation, educational and information impact;

fourthly, the richness and variety of forms and methods of influence; fifthly, publicity, dynamism, stability, prevalence, intensity, extensiveness, accessibility.

The mass media are a kind of system for collecting and integrating information, which is reflected not only in the selection of factual material, but also in the means of its expression. Depending on the content of information from the subject of influence, various technical, artistic and other forms of communication, analysis and figurative transmission of information can be used, which helps to increase its emotional charge. And this emotional charge is one of the main and important prerequisites for a lasting and purposeful impact on the mass consciousness.

An analysis of the literature on the research problem shows that researchers also include conversations and disputes among the methods of verbal influence. In pedagogy, it is believed that the success of a conversation, as a method of developing correct judgments, depends, first of all, on the teacher's knowledge of the "audience", that is, the individual opinions and views of people, their attitude towards the phenomena and facts under discussion, the reasons that gave rise to this relation.

A necessary condition for the impact of a word during a conversation is the form of its presentation. A.A. Weissburg writes: “The ability to find the right word and give it a certain color, evoke the necessary experiences, concentrate all your emotions, manage them - all this is necessary for the teacher.”

Comparing the methods of the first group (identifying individual opinions) with the second (development of correct judgments), we can conclude that although they are the same in form (conversations, disputes, etc.), they differ in their intended purpose. In the first case, the speaker listens more, and the audience speaks. His task is to invite listeners to a frank conversation with a series of thoughtful questions, to reveal as many opinions and views as possible. In the second case, the speaker's task is to "push" people's opinions, joining in a general conversation in the form of a replica, speech, to bring the listeners to the correct conclusions, to change their erroneous opinions.

The third stage is the generalization and unification of opinions. The essence of the stage is in the integration of individual judgments and their expression in the form of a single collective opinion through discussion. “Public opinion,” notes A.K. Uledov, “is not the sum of individual opinions, but is a product of collective creativity, a clash of various judgments.” Therefore, this requires a discussion. The psychological and pedagogical mechanism for achieving unity of opinion has not yet been sufficiently studied. Therefore, we believe that in solving this problem, it is necessary, apparently, to proceed from the social nature of human thought itself, which is formed, developed, enriched in the conditions of labor and spiritual interaction. Of considerable interest, in our opinion, in this respect are the thoughts of A.S. Makarenko about the so-called “detonation”. Its essence is as follows: when the collective, unleashing its anger on a delinquent student, causes an explosion in him, then under the pressure of a common avalanche of feelings, “local explosions” simultaneously occur in the minds of others. The general feeling, capturing everyone, clashes one's own opinion with the idea brought in, causing a reassessment of values. The thought of A.S. Makarenko sheds light on the psychological mechanism of the interaction of opinions that occurs during the discussion. The performance of students, for example, at a meeting, thanks to the "detonation", involves in the discussion-73

dening the question of almost everyone. Following the clash of opinions, comparing various arguments and evidence, each “inwardly” determines his own position, coordinating it with the most reasoned point of view. The "explosives" in the process of forming a single opinion are changes in the collective consciousness, prepared by all previous and purposeful work. This provision gives us reason to assert that the true educational power of public opinion lies not so much in the act of discussion as in the very process of formation.

At this stage, methods are also distinguished that contribute to the generalization and integration of individual opinions. They are usually called methods of generalization and association (integration) of individual opinions. If the methods of groups I and II are used to prepare individual judgments, then with the help of the methods of group III, the organizers combine opinions into a single one, that is, the actual formation of public opinion takes place. The most effective method of the third group in pedagogy is the general meeting. In the dictionary of the Russian language, the meeting is interpreted as the joint presence of people somewhere, united by something.

The researchers emphasize that the formation and development of public opinion is carried out not by the entire team (group), but by its most advanced representatives, for which an appropriate tribune is needed. Such a tribune, according to many authors, is the general meeting. It is the main governing body, the decisive authority of any democratic team, which is important for the student environment. A.A. Weissburg writes: “By sharing work experience, criticizing, expressing this or that proposal, voting for a decision, each person actively participates in the formation of public opinion”

In the process of generalization and unification of individual opinions, a special place belongs to the dispute. Dispute - a public dispute on scientific, etc. Topics . Experience, analysis of literature shows that the dispute has a strong influence on the education of moral beliefs, feelings, behavior of people, on the development of their skills in public speaking and logical thinking. Teachers emphasize that disputes require a clear and definite look at the subject of the dispute, the ability to defend one’s arguments, prove the “opponent” wrong, directly and openly expose false views, and actively defend moral standards. It can be concluded that, due to these features, disputes are the most effective method of creating a healthy, productive public opinion.

Researchers emphasize that the general meeting acts as an effective method of forming public opinion under the following conditions: I. Topical issues in the life of the team are systematically submitted for discussion. 2. Discussions of the issues raised take place in an atmosphere of trust and free speech. 3. Not only "lower classes", but also "tops" participate in the general meeting. 4. Every meeting is preceded by careful preparation. 5. The implementation of decisions made is checked in a timely manner, and the entire team is informed about the results. Managers do not suppress employees, but participate in the discussion of the issues raised in the role of unobtrusive advisers.

The fourth stage is the materialization of the formed public opinion into the purposeful activity and traditions of the collective. The goal is for a unanimous opinion to find its expression in the form of specific decisions, rules, laws, etc., which, being supported by the general will of the collective, gradually develop into various ethical norms.

The fourth stage is a kind of "bridge" that connects public opinion with the individual. A person seeks to correlate his behavior with his requirements, and constant control brings up moral habits, stimulates the development of useful qualities.

Thus, the listed stages characterize the process of forming public opinion, taken as a whole. But this, in our opinion, does not mean that this scheme does not undergo any changes. As the analysis of the literature shows, the course of the process is influenced, in particular, by the nature of the phenomenon on which a common opinion is created, interest in it, and the level of development of the team.

So, we can conclude that there are many different methods for creating a healthy, productive public opinion in the university and beyond. They should be used at the appropriate stages in the formation of public opinion. However, these methods should not be used haphazardly, in bulk, but applied in strict accordance with the logic of the process of establishing a single collective opinion.

Public opinion is always influenced. From politics, media or marketing. And the goals are different. While you are watching a movie, your subconscious mind is being influenced. While you are watching the news, you are being presented with what they want to convey. They hide one thing and lie about the other. All this is done to form public opinion. Needed opinion.

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On public opinion in marketing

Public opinion changes quickly enough, so marketers constantly have to work and adapt. Remember which advertisement was before and which is now. According to research, today the consumer is shown 285-305 ad formats per day and only 76 are visible to him. Was it like this before? Not at all.

And now let's move on to the methods of forming public opinion.

Belief

You have often seen a concise advertising text, a fascinating video, a profitable offer that you can’t refuse. But every day people fall under this method of marketing. 90% of advertising is a combination of images, sounds and texts that influence a person. According to research, 40% of advertising is based on the principle of conditioning. In other words, a moment is enough for a person to look at the product, so that an association of a thing with a product is formed in the subconscious. Example: an apartment with a beautiful interior can be associated with a quality renovation.

Another example is a happy couple holding an eminent drink in their hands. The goal is to create an association of cola with positive. 3 out of 10 consumers will think of a cola when they see a happy couple or smiling people.

Isolation or "herd mentality"

Let this refer to persuasion, we decided to make this point separately.

This method of forming public opinion is often used to convince a large group of people. A consumer who does not have contact with someone who may conflict with beliefs succumbs to herd mentality.

Consider three types of isolation in marketing:

Information control.Consumers see only the material that reminds of the problems of the audience, of its pain. Wherein. Such material presents the product as a way to solve problems.

Black and white thinking.The consumer is given two options: "Either you are with us, or without us - there is no third option."

Emotions and doubts.And no need to explain, the name is clear. Example: “People and information, what you trusted, can no longer be trusted. However, we will give you information and information that will open the veil of truth.”

higher purpose

People want to serve a higher purpose. It doesn't matter which one. Spiritual, material, cultural. What matters is that people are willing. And marketers take advantage of it.

“Drink our mineral water. The bottle is made from natural ingredients. Help the Environment” is an example of marketing by promoting sustainability.

word of mouth

More related to hidden marketing. However, it is a working method in shaping public opinion. A more common name is word of mouth. The goal of this method is to exceed consumer expectations.

Word of mouth differs from rumors in that the information is already wrapped in a shell that marketers have prepared. Radio eliminates the increase in unreliability and the formation of the “broken phone” effect. Therefore, this method of forming public opinion works.

Public opinion is one of the phenomena that with great difficulty lend themselves to comprehensive analysis and strict definition. Therefore, there are many points of view on the problem of its definition. Only in the domestic literature can be found almost two dozen definitions.

Public opinion depends on the society in which it is formed and developed, on the principles of this society, on cultural values and the degree of democratization of the social system.

The study of public opinion is a very urgent problem, since public opinion is a kind of regulator of the processes that take place in society. The study of public opinion by sociological methods with objective analysis makes it possible to capture its slightest nuances, trends in its change, clarify the quantitative relationship between its various assessments, and find out the real alignment of political forces.

The analysis of public opinion is not only of great practical, but also of theoretical importance, and contributes to the development of social sciences.

Public opinion is the value judgments of the majority of members of large communities of people, expressing their attitudes towards facts, phenomena, and processes of reality.

Theoretical understanding of public opinion and its role in public life is given much space in the famous treatise "The Prince" by the Italian thinker and statesman N. Machiavelli. In the XVII-XVIII centuries. the words "public opinion" denoted a representation of the political opinion of the public and voters, manifested outside of parliament, as opposed to their public discussion of political issues in parliament. From the end of the XVIII century. this term has become common.

In modern times, public opinion was analyzed in the works of the English philosophers T. Hobbes, F. Bacon and J. Locke. In his work An Essay on the Human Mind, Locke singled out three groups of laws that a person must obey in his behavior: divine, human, and public opinion. He considered public opinion as a manifestation of morality and believed that when evaluating their actions, people turn not only to religious precepts, civil laws, but also to public opinion. Locke's position on public opinion as a measure of "moral" and "immoral" allowed sociologists to further explore the role of public opinion in moral life, as well as to substantiate such a specific feature of opinion as evaluativeness. T. Hobbs considered that opinion is a reflection of certain social needs. The actions and activities of people are determined by their opinions, and if people's opinions are effectively managed, this will lead to effective management of their activities, which will allow for a peaceful solution to social problems. Hegel, dividing society into "civil society" and "state", sought to prove that only the state is capable of solving problems that affect the interests of the whole society. The people are endowed with a subjective opinion, while the state has objective, not subjective opinions as its definition. Public opinion is an inorganic way of discovering what the people want and what they think. What really manifests itself in the state must, of course, act organically, and this takes place in the state system, Hegel wrote.

French sociologist G. Tarde , believed that public opinion is created by the public. the boundaries of which are very vague, and the main feature of the public is the movement of opinions that it generates. Tarde noted that public opinion is a certain set of reflections and answers to the questions of the present. Opinion is a statistical system, controlled by both logic and feelings, and shared by a different number of people from a few dozen to several million. Tarde wrote that an opinion is an instantaneous and more or less logical group of judgments that, in response to current questions, are reproduced in many copies among people of the same country, one time and one society. The judgment expressed by the individual spreads to the whole society and becomes general. V.M. Khvostov connects the process of the emergence of public opinion with the interests of classes and social groups. He emphasized the role of the people in creating public opinion. Since the expression of attitude in the form of approval or condemnation, wishes or demands is one of the important signs of public opinion, Khvostov defines public opinion as the attitude that society takes to any issue or event, and members of the society are aware of their solidarity in their views on this issue.

Public opinion reflects all or almost all aspects of society. It includes in its content the same rational, volitional and emotional moments as the specific forms of social consciousness. So, if an opinion is expressed on political or moral questions, then it thereby includes both political and moral ideas, i.e. rational points.

Public opinion also broadly covers the sphere of feelings, as it evaluates the actions of people, approves or condemns them. Feelings of disposition, sympathy or anger, hatred are always present in public opinion.

The key concepts of the phenomenon of "public opinion" are the concepts of object and subject. The objects of public opinion are facts, events and processes. The subject of public opinion is the dominant majority of this or that society. The subject of public opinion is not any group of people, but large human communities.

Opinions are people's judgments expressing their attitude to facts, phenomena, processes of reality, their assessment. The peculiarity of opinions as value judgments is that they also express the subjective attitude of people to the object. To clarify the specifics of an opinion, it is important to consider it as a necessary link in the relationship between the subject and the object of activity, in relation to a person, a social group, and the outside world. In the process of such interaction, value judgments are expressed, which act as a regulator of relations between people's behavior. The specificity lies in the fact that in a judgment an attitude towards something is expressed in the form of approval or condemnation, a wish or a direct demand. This attitude arises in connection with the presence of conflicting judgments and is expressed by the public.

Opinion depends not only on knowledge, but also on the interests of people, their worldview. The expression of attitude in the form of approval or condemnation, wishes or demands is one of the important signs of public opinion. Public opinion always expresses a certain attitude of people to the solution of certain issues of public life, to the activities of the government, political parties, and to individuals. Like the opinion of the majority, internal unity is inherent in public opinion.

Another important feature of public opinion is that it is formed on issues that affect the common interests of people. , and arises in connection with the divergence of their views on issues of interest to them. An important sign of public opinion is not only that it is publicly expressed and defended, but also how widespread it is.

Public opinion, as a judgment expressing the ordinary consciousness of people, is not based on scientific provisions, but the presence of false ideas in public opinion cannot be considered its specific feature.

Opinions are very fluid . Their peculiarity is such that with a change in the conditions affecting their formation, yesterday's opinion of the minority today can become the opinion of the majority or unanimous opinion, and vice versa. The variability and mobility of opinions makes it necessary to analyze their totality.

In the process of sociological study of public opinion, first of all, the direction of the opinion (positive or negative), as well as its intensity (weak or strong), is fixed. The degree of interest in the problem, its debatability is revealed. The task is to determine not only the attitude of people to any problem, but also their judgment about the possible, most effective ways to solve this problem. Such studies are a necessary element of managerial decision-making.

The formation of public opinion is carried out spontaneously and consciously. The evolution and development of public opinion begins with the establishment of a family hearth, the formation of a clan and tribe.

If earlier, before the formation of these unions, the actions of a person were guided exclusively by egoism, then from now on, for the first time, the regulation of human actions begins from the point of view of the interests of the union. The guide for such regulation everywhere and everywhere is the so-called public opinion, which determines good and evil from the point of view of the interests of society, and not from the point of view of personal aspirations alone.

Later, a court apparatus was created, but the court did not eliminate the power and significance of public opinion, which plays a huge role both in primitive societies and in developed social organizations. At the same time, public opinion is a more subtle tool in assessing human activity, moral deeds, thoughts and moral feelings of a person, which cannot be evaluated by a court at all. Public opinion makes its very definite assessment of moral behavior.

Public opinion is also associated with such social phenomena as popularity, fame, which are for many an incentive to actions of a public nature and public interest.