FromTo


Send to Friend from Public Agenda

The Seven Stages of Public Opinion

Public opinion is not static. People's views about an issue can develop and change over time from disconnected, poorly informed reactions to more thoughtful and considered conclusions, from changeable public opinion to settled public judgment.

This process evolves through seven distinct stages, according to Daniel Yankelovich, author, public opinion analyst and co-founder of Public Agenda. And unless one understands where people are in this process, survey results can frequently mislead.