Deliberations on the relationship between public opinion and public policy most often focus on the influence of the former on the latter, from either the normative or analytical perspective. Although certainly the most attractive and interesting issue, the relationship between the two is reciprocal and their mutual interaction is highly complex. The many layers of the relationship are best demonstrated by the efforts to define the two concepts and describe their mutual interaction accordingly.

Definitions of public policy and public opinion

In the field of social sciences, one would be hard put to find more elusive concepts with so many definitions. Klein and Marmor (2006, p 892) call public policy ‘a chameleon concept’, claiming that each of the disciplines and sub-disciplines dealing with the concept has its own definitions and research methods. Similarly, Cochran et al (2009) claim that there is no definite, comprehensive and universally accepted definition. Both groups of researchers present their own definitions of public policy: for Klein and Marmor (2006, p 892), it is ‘what governments do and neglect to do’, whereas Cochran et al (2009, p 2) define public policy as ‘an intentional course of action followed by a government institution or official for resolving an issue of public concern’. Both of these definitions are rather general and only hint at possible interaction with public opinion, but they both restrict the concept to government's deliberate actions (and, importantly, inaction). When looking at policy as a process expressed by the four stages of the policy cycle model (problem recognition or issue selection, policy formulation and decision making, implementation, and finally evaluation and termination − Jann and Wegrich, 2007), it becomes clear that each of these stages offers the possibility to interact with public opinion.

The definition of public opinion is similarly elusive. Donsbach and Traugott (2008, p 1) call it a ‘nebulous concept’, referring to its diverse perceptions and multiple definitions, resulting from the fact that various social researchers focus on different aspects of the phenomenon (Herbst, 1993).