Walter Lippmann (1889-1974)

Public opinion according to Walter Lippmann ('The Good Society', 1937):
1) Public opinion is volatile;
2) Public opinion is incoherent, lacking an organized or a consistent structure to such an extent that the views of U.S. citizens could best be described as "nonattitudes";
3) Public opinion is irrelevant to the policy-making process. Political leaders ignore public opinion because most Americans can neither "understand nor influence the very events upon which their lives and happiness are known to depend".