How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Cantril's Laws of Public Opinion

Disciplines > PR > Managing the Media > Cantril's Laws of Public Opinion

Description | Example | Discussion | See also

Description

Hadley Cantril suggested fourteen laws on the dynamics of public opinion, as below:

1. Public opinion is highly sensitive around important events.
2. Larger events are likely to swing public opinion to and between extremes. Opinion stabilizes when implications are clear.
3. Events are more important than words in creating opinion (unless particular words constitute and 'event').
4. When opinion is unstructured and uncertain, use verbal statements and outline courses of action. Seek interpretation from a reliable source.
5. Public opinion reacts to emergencies. It seldom anticipates them.
6. Opinion is based on self-interest.
7. The public do not stay aroused for long unless they feel their self-interests are being severely affected.
8. Once self-interest is involved, people entrench and opinions are not easily changed.
9. When self-interest is involved, public opinion will lead official policy.
10. When opinion is finely balanced, a solid accomplishment will shift opinion.
11. In times of trouble, people become more sensitive to ability of their leaders and will join in or criticize depending on this view.
12. If they feel they are a part of the decision, people will be less likely to accept a leader's decision.
13. People will have more views and agree more easily about goals than the method by which they should be achieved.
14. Public opinion is affected significantly by emotion, which may be aroused by sudden events and changes.

Discussion

It is notable how public opinion, although a tacitly collaborative thing is still based on individual self-interest. This implies the importance of understanding and paying attention to basic human needs.

It is also notable how fickle opinion can be, swinging from pole to pole rather than taking a moderate position. Events are important here and the way public commentators interpret them can lead to very different reactions.

Cantril pointed out that the important psychological dimensions of opinion are:

• Direction
• Intensity
• Breadth
• Depth.

See also

Cantril, H. (1986). The Psychology of Social Movements. Great Neck, NY: Roth Publishing Inc.