00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 - Good afternoon, my name is Jerry Mayer.

00:15 I'll be taking you to government on a topic,

00:17 public opinion.

00:19 We all know what is public opinion about.

00:22 We're going to look at majorly,

00:25 what public opinion is all about.

00:27 But before then, at the end of this lesson,

00:31 students should know the definition of public opinion,

00:34 characteristics of public opinion,

00:36 how public opinion is determined and measured,

00:39 importance of public opinion.

00:42 Now what is public opinion?

00:45 Public opinion may be defined as a collective belief,

00:50 judgments of views held by majority,

00:54 of the citizen of a country about public publicity

00:57 or action of the government.

00:59 It is about what people think,

01:02 concerning the particular nascent issues or question

01:06 as proposed by the government.

01:08 Now what is public opinion is a belief that people

01:11 is a kind of belief is in some country

01:14 I will say is a tradition of people.

01:17 Now what they believe about a government,

01:19 if you can't remember,

01:20 where if you have read and franchise and election,

01:23 when you elect a leader and they're not performing well,

01:26 what is your word opinion about them?

01:28 Are they performing well?

01:30 Or are they doing good?

01:32 So your opinion matter,

01:33 you are free to come up with your own opinion.

01:36 But a bad mood that I think we come out

01:39 with our own opinion, we're not being heard.

01:42 And what we're going to also look at what,

01:45 come about what form about this public opinion,

01:50 there are some things that make public opinion

01:54 to come in place, which I already said

01:56 when the government and not performing well.

01:59 Now number one, characteristics of public opinion,

02:02 number one's taste.

02:04 Issues of public importance are involved,

02:07 public in public opinion.

02:10 Is your public importance?

02:12 What are your views about a particular government

02:15 or a group of people is one of the word characteristics?

02:20 The opinion is held or shared

02:22 by the majority of people of a particular country or nation.

02:27 Public opinion is mostly done by majority of people.

02:32 What are their views?

02:34 What are their views?

02:34 Public opinion is expressed in private individuals

02:40 not by the government.

02:41 Now, opinion are mostly expressed

02:43 by a private individual not government

02:45 because usually when you are not pleased with the government,

02:49 where you are trying to express your feeling

02:51 to the government, you are not pleased

02:53 with the award administration.

02:55 And the formation of public opinion,

02:59 communication and information plays a significant role.

03:03 In a way, you are pulling out your mind

03:06 as every need you communicate.

03:09 You communicate with people.

03:10 So as a result of that, your opinion can be held or not.

03:14 Public opinion is dynamic.

03:17 It change from time to time.

03:19 Public opinion, your opinion, it change from time to time,

03:21 is not constant.

03:22 It changes.

03:23 Specific issues are forecast

03:27 in expressing public opinion.

03:29 We have a lot of issues that are being discussed.

03:32 You cannot discuss the same thing tomorrow

03:34 and discuss the same thing.

03:36 So we have different issues that are being discussed

03:39 on a daily basis.

03:41 Today, it can be a particular state.

03:44 Tomorrow, it can be another state.

03:48 Now, formation of public opinion,

03:50 how public opinion is developed or factors

03:53 that can influence public opinion,

03:56 formation or agency of public opinion.

03:59 Number one, the mass media.

04:00 The mass media play a very crucial role

04:02 in public opinion.

04:04 You know, I think when the mass media releases

04:07 and it news, you see people pulling out their mind.

04:10 You understand?

04:13 Especially when a particular sector

04:16 of the armed government, we have the three tiers of government

04:21 who also have arms or organs of government.

04:24 When a particular organ or a particular tier of government

04:27 is not performing well, you see people

04:28 trying to pull out their mind.

04:30 Actually, let me just take for instance,

04:32 now the three tiers of government

04:34 are the local level and they're not performing their function.

04:37 People are likely to pull out their mind.

04:40 Rumor and gossip.

04:41 Many cities in who are not well informed

04:44 may form their opinion from common rumours

04:48 and gossip.

04:49 We all know public opinion and form out of rumor

04:52 or gossip.

04:53 I could remember during our former president

04:57 of Bastion Joe when he was in power.

04:59 There was a time when rumor carried that he was late.

05:01 You can see, the news was all over the air.

05:04 It was just a rumor.

05:05 And we were seeing all manner of thing.

05:07 It died as a result of it.

05:08 But then the gentleman came out and addressed the nation.

05:13 Through election.

05:15 Now, election is also an avenue for people

05:19 to pull out their mind during election.

05:22 Or before the proper election, people

05:25 castigating a particular candidate.

05:27 This candidate is not fit in this position.

05:30 Through pressure groups and political parties,

05:32 these two groups help in the formation of public opinion.

05:36 People belonging in different groups also help

05:40 in forming what public opinion.

05:45 Symposium and lectures.

05:46 The ideas on matters of public importance

05:50 are sprays through holding of lectures and symposium.

05:55 Now, switching away by lectures are being given.

05:57 Just for instance, now out of the lecture I'm giving you now,

06:00 you can form your own words.

06:01 Opinion.

06:02 So, opinion are formed in different aspects.

06:06 Not-- is not particularly on one section.

06:13 Inflation citizen.

06:15 Citizens such as traditional rulers, intellectuals,

06:19 tycoons, actors, and all that.

06:21 Inflation citizen, not at the corridors of power,

06:26 act as a public opinion, murders in a country.

06:30 Now, some of our citizens also form our opinion.

06:35 Those who are very, very, very influential

06:37 are traditional rulers.

06:38 Even those-- some of these are musicians or musicians

06:42 can also form a basis forward.

06:44 Public word, opinion.

06:45 You can see, as a result of it, people

06:47 can vote from their opinion.

06:51 Government rule.

06:52 The types of explanation and education

06:55 the government give to members of the public about this policy

07:00 and action go a long way in influencing public opinion.

07:04 The government should be very, very careful in terms

07:07 of their policy, because when they-- when they come at--

07:10 and this is our policy, and they don't stick to it,

07:12 it can form basis forward, public opinion.

07:14 People can say, "Government, they are not

07:15 seeking to work to the award policy."

07:19 Social background.

07:20 The social background, one find he saw herself

07:24 informing an opinion.

07:26 Now, the background-- the social background,

07:29 you find yourself also the-- is the determinant factor

07:31 of your public opinion.

07:35 Age.

07:37 Occupation, education, peer groups, family,

07:40 background, ETC, and compounds in the social background,

07:44 and the determining the types of opinion

07:47 citizens can form in a country.

07:49 Like your age group, now, you can have your own opinion.

07:53 Some of it belongs to a different world organization.

07:57 This is different organization.

07:58 Your belong can form your public opinion.

08:00 From this, you can have your own public opinion.

08:04 Politicians and politicians, through their sentimentors

08:07 pitch and praise, conference, persuade people

08:12 to form opinion on certain government policy or action

08:18 in their life.

08:19 Our politicians, at times, they can be sentimentors.

08:22 Because of their sentiment, people

08:23 can form their opinion based on that.

08:26 And that way, neutrality, politicians

08:28 should not be sentiment, but we all know politicians

08:31 that we all know tend to be sentiment in some of the things

08:35 they do.

08:35 So as a result of this, people can form their world's opinion.

08:40 Political parties, political parties

08:42 with the help of their manifesto's rallies, ETC,

08:46 act as a basis of public opinion formation in the country.

08:51 When a political party is really during a election,

08:54 when they are going about their rally, campaign, people

08:58 opinion can be based on that.

09:00 So that's why public party in doing their rally,

09:02 they have to be very careful, really manifestos.

09:05 When they say they will do this, they should make sure

09:06 they stick to it because if they don't stick to their promises,

09:10 the citizen or the masses will use it against them

09:13 as their own public opinion.

09:15 Now, we're going to be looking at measurement

09:21 or determination of public opinion.

09:26 Number one, opinion pool.

09:29 This is a method of axing questions

09:33 from a selected simple of people and their view.

09:38 I used to represent that of the entire population.

09:41 It can be done by questionnaire or by interview.

09:45 This is a question whereby they can print it

09:48 in the booklet form and send it to you

09:50 to answer the question.

09:51 They want to hear from you what is opinion?

09:54 They can pick a particular set of people

09:59 who want you to tell your opinion about this government.

10:03 They can interview you.

10:04 It can be by questionnaire, questionnaire,

10:07 institution whereby they will present to you

10:09 a booklet whereby you feel.

10:11 So that is by questionnaire.

10:12 So by this, then they get the opinion of the masses.

10:18 Election.

10:19 Election serves as a means of measuring public opinion

10:22 on popularity or otherwise of government in free and fair

10:27 election.

10:28 A government which public opinion favors

10:31 when search, election, and vice versa.

10:34 Now, election is also a means of what people

10:36 for me, the public opinion.

10:38 During election, you can see a lot of information

10:41 on the air.

10:43 This party will do well.

10:45 This party will not do well.

10:46 That is all about what public opinion.

10:49 And that's why during election, parties

10:50 need to be very, very careful.

10:52 Because people are watching at them,

10:57 referendum or publicists.

10:59 Now, these two, I've explained this

11:03 when I was explaining if you have read your election,

11:08 I've explained this.

11:09 Now, let me say, for instance, a set of people

11:12 are not happy with the government.

11:14 Now, the government can call a referendum,

11:17 call them in a round table to know

11:20 their grievances, because there's need for opinion.

11:24 There's need for a referendum.

11:26 When some set of people are not pleased with the government.

11:29 So that referendum helped to bring back peace in the country.

11:38 Through mass media, public opinion can also

11:41 be measured or determined through view people

11:45 express freely in the mass media.

11:48 Who are these mass media, the generalist?

11:52 In some of the news, these people can use it

11:56 to form their own world opinion.

11:58 And that's why in disseminating information

12:01 to the citizen or to the masses, the social media

12:07 have to be very, very careful in disseminating information.

12:12 Public response, public response, means public opinion

12:16 can also be measured or determined through the way.

12:19 Members of the public respond to government policy

12:24 through mass protest and demonstration

12:27 for or against such policy or program.

12:31 If the citizens are not pleased with government policy,

12:35 they can go into protest.

12:37 EG, example of these is answers where the citizens

12:41 are fed up of the government.

12:43 You can see people going out for protest.

12:46 So as a result of this, people can form their world opinion.

12:51 Channels of communication, government

12:53 can determine people opinion through exploring

12:56 all the channels of communication, EG, opinion

12:59 expressed in newspaper, radio, television.

13:02 These are ways of channel of communication.

13:07 Opinion expressed by leaders of thoughts.

13:10 It can also be determined or measured

13:13 through opinion expressed by local leaders of thoughts

13:16 or leaders in the representative assemblies.

13:19 Now, opinion-- what is the thing we're talking about?

13:22 People are at a local level.

13:23 Any speech they make, or those who are representing

13:26 those in the legislature, they speak.

13:30 They make people can use it as what public opinion.

13:33 That's when we are representing the particulars

13:35 of people you have to be very careful.

13:39 Telephone calls.

13:40 Now, that telephone call, mostly you listen to radio program

13:43 whereby phone number are being dropped, whereby you can call.

13:46 Now, when you call, you are expressing yourself.

13:49 You are giving out your own word, opinion.

13:54 Functions and advantages of public opinion number one.

13:57 One of the functions and advantages of public opinion

14:00 is that it's direct government.

14:02 And knowing what the public think about its policy,

14:06 it made the government to know that, ah,

14:08 this would be a not pleased with our policy,

14:10 to make government to sit up.

14:13 It helps in making government in moderating

14:16 Hesoha action.

14:17 It helps government to-- and to-- to-- to-- to-- how

14:21 alike we wanted to-- to make sure they

14:23 contain the way they do things in the citizen

14:26 and not please with their policy.

14:29 Public opinion have government in knowing the needs

14:32 and aspiration of the citizen.

14:34 They-- it helps them to know the needs of the citizen.

14:38 It's wake up government and it's agency from Slomber.

14:42 It makes the government wake up from the Slomber Eve.

14:46 They have not been working very hard.

14:50 It brings about, ah, um, um, formulation of policy

14:54 and taking action that are to-- to the best interest

14:57 of the majority of the citizen.

14:59 Now, when government have leasing to the citizen,

15:01 it make them to form policy that will be to the interest

15:06 of the citizen, not to their own interest.

15:09 In election period, it helps government to ascertain

15:12 its popularity and whether it can win or lose the election.

15:17 This wake government have to be very careful.

15:19 For people opinion can make you lose election.

15:22 People opinion can make you win election.

15:26 It serve as an avenue through which public views

15:30 are channeled to the government.

15:33 It's public opinion, especially, um,

15:36 foods provided, valuable information

15:39 about those contesting election.

15:42 Now, public opinion also helps in people

15:44 contesting for an election because their opinion can also

15:48 give you the avenue to win that election.

15:53 Public opinion, especially public foods,

15:55 help voters to cast their vote for popular candidate.

16:00 The opinion also helps you because it is their opinion

16:04 will make them to vote for you.

16:06 If they have negative opinion towards it,

16:08 there's everything they see, don't win the election.

16:10 But if they have a positive one, there's

16:12 everything they see, you win the election.

16:14 Need for the people.

16:15 The people, problems, need and desire

16:18 unknown to the government.

16:20 One people pull out their mind.

16:22 The people problem unknown to the government.

16:26 Checking the SSEs of governments through the method,

16:30 the government is made to account for its action.

16:35 Now, how does it make the government

16:38 to checkmate the action?

16:39 Because our public opinion actually matters.

16:42 So this will help government to checkmate what they are doing

16:46 as a result of our public opinion.

16:50 Carbonane's recover.

16:51 Now, your public opinion can also make some of the cabinet

16:55 to be removed.

16:56 If they're not performing well, who are the cabinet?

16:58 I'm referring to the ministers.

17:00 If any ministers is not prone to their work,

17:03 there's every tendency they'll be replaced.

17:07 This advantage is all witness of public opinion.

17:10 One of the disadvantages of public opinion

17:12 is that it can be easily manipulated

17:15 by those who have access to mass media to their favor.

17:20 You can see how the answers was hijacked.

17:22 So instead of people who can influence, people who are protesting

17:26 for a positive mindset, they can be paid.

17:30 And before you know, their mindset can be changed.

17:32 What they have in mind is no one who can have a man

17:35 as a result of that, because of that, they have what.

17:37 So the primary motive of that, the opinion will be shifted.

17:46 Public opinion may be misdirected.

17:49 Misdirected by governments, a time--

17:52 public opinion of people can be misdirected by government.

17:56 Maybe the masses are saying the price of where we're not

17:59 pleaded, and you see government are saying,

18:01 trying to if we can buy this for a particular amount of money,

18:05 definitely should buy a little of where by this.

18:08 So as a result of this, there's every tendency for the government

18:12 to misunderstute the citizen.

18:17 It will stop the smooth running of government

18:20 if members of the public are to be consulted in all issues.

18:25 Definitely, it's not everybody that will be consulted.

18:29 So it's only some future of people that will be consulted.

18:32 Because if everybody are considered to affect the government,

18:36 the smooth running of the government,

18:40 it may cause political instability.

18:42 If not, propaganda can cause political instability

18:45 in the country.

18:47 In the country with large geographical areas

18:50 and many ethnic groups, like Nigeria, is a problem.

18:53 And that's why in handling public issue in Nigeria,

18:56 our government will need to be very, very careful.

18:59 Because we have different ethnic groups in this country.

19:04 It waste time.

19:05 It waste a lot of time.

19:07 It's a large nation like Nigeria.

19:09 It may not represent general opinion

19:13 or tens of various tendencies to represent

19:16 the general opinion of the country.

19:18 It may give wrong picture.

19:20 Public opinion or tens give wrong picture

19:22 about what the people have in mind.

19:24 Especially when some sort of people

19:26 who does not have a positive mind

19:28 hijack the, for example, protest.

19:34 Why public opinion is not popular

19:37 or unreliable in West Africa?

19:40 Number one, lack of expertise, officials

19:44 conducting the necessary experts' knowledge.

19:46 Now we'll lack some experts that are what's in this.

19:50 So as a result of this, it can affect public opinion.

19:55 Electricity.

19:56 High level of electricity is so much higher,

20:00 especially in Africa.

20:01 As a result of this, it can affect public opinion.

20:08 Problem of analyzing status card data.

20:10 This can also make the conduct of public opinion

20:13 unreliable, whereby we don't know how

20:17 to analyze the actual data as a result of this,

20:21 it can what affects the public opinion of the masses.

20:27 Lack of objectivity.

20:29 This is highly noticeable among respondents.

20:33 Who are the respondents?

20:35 When there is no, how will I even put it?

20:41 The people who are, they don't have a particular objective.

20:44 Does everything then say that their opinion

20:47 is not being embraced by the government in power?

20:51 People are scared.

20:56 Many people are not ready to cooperate with the officials.

21:00 People are scared.

21:01 A lot of people are not ready to cooperate

21:03 with what the officials, as a result of this,

21:06 when people sit back.

21:08 Poor communication network.

21:09 This has the capacity of making the conduct of public opinion

21:14 unreliable in West Africa.

21:16 As a result of poor communication,

21:19 it makes it unreliable, especially in West Africa.

21:24 Manipulation.

21:25 This is a possibility of manipulating the figure generated

21:29 or gathered during the SSI.

21:32 The figure might be manipulated as a result of the opinion,

21:37 the positive opinion, and not being

21:39 and put into consideration.

21:43 Traditional sentiment.

21:44 Respondents may be highly influenced

21:47 by cultural religions or traditional sentiment.

21:51 Traditional relations can influence our opinion.

21:55 And that's when you are given your own opinion.

21:57 Make sure you're not influenced by anybody.

22:01 Selection of something.

22:03 The selection of this something may be misled.

22:07 If it cannot produce the desired result,

22:11 if it cannot produce the desired result,

22:13 there's every tendency for them to misplace

22:18 or mislead the people.

22:20 Factors that can promote public opinion

22:25 or can be encouraged in a country.

22:30 Press freedom, the use of the mass media

22:32 should be maintained.

22:34 What can be used to promote public opinion

22:40 as a mass media?

22:42 Freedom of speech and association,

22:44 they shall now be put out their mind.

22:49 Activities of pressure group that different groups

22:53 should be allowed to express their feeling

22:55 by encouraging the activities of pressure groups

22:57 and all their voluntary organization.

23:02 Opinion pools.

23:03 Encouraging the use of opinion pools

23:06 on issues of general importance.

23:10 The opinion pools should be given or they are venue

23:14 to observe from people.

23:16 What are your opinion about this?

23:20 It's very, very, very important.

23:23 Assistance of political parties.

23:25 Assistance of political parties also help in public opinion.

23:29 Responsible and responsiveness.

23:31 Now, for example, that we region,

23:34 the family, the institution are also very, very important

23:39 in public opinion.

23:41 Now in the evaluation, what is public opinion?

23:45 How can public opinion be measured?

23:48 What are the importance of public opinion?

23:52 Thank you for watching.

23:53 My name is Jury Maya.

23:54 Till the next time.