Public opinion poll

Japanese: 世論調査 - せろんちょうさ（英語表記）public opinion poll

A quantitative survey of the opinions, judgments, and attitudes held by the general public regarding a particular issue. It developed dramatically in the early 20th century in the United States, when it began predicting the results of elections. The development of sampling theory based on inferential statistics improved survey methods and techniques, leading to increased accuracy. The Gallup polling organization in the United States is particularly famous. Currently, in each country, quantitative predictions of the opinions, judgments, and attitudes of members of social groups are being expanded to all areas where it is possible and necessary to make quantitative predictions of the opinions, judgments, and attitudes of members of social groups regarding not only various public elections, but also specific products and specific policies. The number of opinion polling organizations themselves is increasing, including each newspaper. In Japan, public opinion polls are conducted periodically or on a specific issue by newspapers such as Asahi, Mainichi, and Yomiuri, NHK, the Cabinet Office Government Public Relations Office, and each prefecture, city, town, and village, etc. Survey subjects are selected using random sampling methods, and the survey is conducted using questionnaires, interviews, etc. While opinion polls are useful for the political establishment to grasp the actual state of public opinion and to formulate policies accordingly, they can also have the opposite effect of manipulating public opinion by conducting misleading opinion polls, making the masses follow them, or causing the masses themselves to be influenced by the survey results.

Public opinion poll

Please see the "Polls" page.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

特定の事項に関して，一般大衆がいかなる意見，判断，態度を保持しているかを数量的に調査したもの。 20世紀初頭アメリカにおいて，選挙の当落予測を始めたことが契機となって飛躍的に発達した。推理統計学に依拠したサンプリング理論の発達によって調査方法や調査技術が高まり，その正確性を高めるにいたった。アメリカのギャラップの世論調査機関は特に有名。現在では各国とも，各種の公的選挙だけでなく，特定の商品，特定の政策などについて，およそ社会集団の構成員の意見，判断，態度の数量的予測が可能でありかつ必要である全領域に拡大している。世論調査の機関自体も各新聞をはじめ量的に増加している。日本における世論調査は，朝日，毎日，読売などの新聞社，NHK，内閣府政府広報室，各都道府県市町村自治体などにより，定期的あるいは特定の問題をめぐってその都度実施される。無作為抽出法によって調査対象を選び，質問紙法，面接法などによって行われる。世論調査は，政治的支配者層の世論の実態把握と，それに対応した政策の策定などに役立つ反面，誘導的な世論調査を行うことによって世論を操作し，大衆を追随させたり，また大衆自身がその調査結果に影響されるという逆効果ももつ。