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"The four major collective concepts commonly invoked in public opinion research - the general public, the electorate, the attentive public, and the elite or active public - correspond roughly to a continuum from mass to public. ... each of these four collectives - whether formally considered a public or not - can play a significant role in the formation of public opinion. It is in this sense that the search for the public is likely to be in vain. ... It is in the interaction among these groups – as they form and change over time – that answers are likely to be found concerning the collective formation and impact of public opinion."

- Vincent Price

 in Public Opinion (1992)

Vincent Price is not only my esteemed dissertation advisor, he is also Provost of the University of Pennsylvania as well as the Steven H. Chaffee Professor of Communication and Political Science at the Annenberg School for Communication. He is the author of many influential articles on public opinion and the widely translated book Public Opinion.

Photo credit: University of Pennsylvania