Classical Liberalism is a school of thought that stresses the importance of “human rationality, individual property rights, natural rights, constitutional limitations of government, the protection of civil liberties, an economic policy with heavy emphasis on free markets, and individual freedom from restraint. With this definition of “Classical Liberalism” is the assumption that the public is a group of individuals with “individual” and liberated thoughts. Thus, public opinion can only exist if “individual” thought exists and could factually represent the aggregation of each individual’s opinion. This could only be true if public opinion remain loyal to one characteristic ideology of Classical liberalism, which emphasizes individual sovereignty and liberty. The question on the existence of “individual” thought and public opinion now arises.
A common measure of public opinion is done through polling. It is assumed that the results of the polls would represent the will of the public, which could then be used for their deemed purposes. The accuracy and reliability of poll results, however, are subject to critique. First, in order to create an individual opinion, it is a prerequisite that the individuals who would hold the opinion have sound knowledge about the issue. This prerequisite is not supported by existing methodologies on public opinion research. The methodologies on creating public polls and surveys focus on measuring demographics and less emphasis on the subjects’ knowledge about each issue. The possibility of measuring the knowledge of each participant is also doubtful. Moreover, the declining cooperation, contact and coverage rates as well as the rise of Internet polls and surveys further increase the risk of having uneducated subjects.
There is also what Public Opinion theorists call the “Bandwagon Effect”. In political campaigns, for example, the implied perceptions on the likely winner based on polls could significantly affect the actual electoral results. If this is the case, the electoral results, which is supposedly a product of democratic decision making and is representing public opinion, becomes only a natural result of publicized polls. The proportional electoral system used in Denmark, Germany, Poland, and Sweden is an example. According to surveys, the decision to vote for parliamentary representations in these countries is partially dependent on the poll data as reported by the media. This means that the decision is influenced, not by the aggregation of individual judgment but by the perceived opinions shown by the media reports, regardless of its reliability and accuracy. If there is a “bandwagon,” there is the persona who drives the bandwagon. In other words, if public opinion can be easily swayed by the polls through the Bandwagon Effect, it is far from impossible for the public opinion to be manipulated, either directly or indirectly by influence and persuasion. Polls are just one of the many tools that influential people can use in creating “public opinion”. All media through which information can be disseminated: television, newspapers, word-of-mouth, internet, can be used in creating “public opinion”. Using these media, “public opinion” is created by the innovator or leader, using the psychology of public persuasion, bringing about the indoctrination of ideas or changes in the incumbent ideas, beliefs and habits.
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