Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Based on the examination of the relevant literature and findings from academic survey research, this Master's thesis focuses on the reflection of the political development in public opinion research in China and on the contour of local collective opinion. Its theoretical part stems from James Bryce's theory of the development of public opinion and from the writings of Irving Crespi who noted that the extent and role of public opinion research in different political regimes rely on the acceptance of public opinion in the political process and on the basis of governmental legitimacy. The increasing pluralization of public opinion, which is the result of the processes tied to Chinese economic liberalization and which has been reflected in the official ideology and in the growing emphasis on public opinion polling claimed by the government, is still outweighed by the inclination of the Chinese Confucian society towards authoritarian leadership. The liberalization process is further reflected in the extent of public opinion research; however, recent studies show that the results from public opinion polls are not reported objectively and survey responses of Chinese respondents are strongly influenced by the political regime. KEYWORDS China, public opinion, polls, legitimacy, James Bryce, Irving Crespi

This diploma thesis is thematically oriented towards early theories of public opinion of the late 19th century. Concretely, it deals with the theories of Alexis de Tocqueville, John Stuart Mill and James Bryce. The thesis presents an analysis, interpretation and a comparison of these three thinkers and concentrates on the following topics: the definition of the term "public opinion"; the formation of public opinion; the influence individuals, groups and society as a whole have on public opinion; and the role the media play in public opinion. Further, it shows how these authors' thoughts are continued in selected 20th century theories of public opinion, namely in Walter Lippmann's concept of public opinion, the Two-step flow model developed by Elihu Katz and Paul Lazarsfeld, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's Spiral of Silence, Irving Crespi's theory of the Public Opinion Process and Giovanni Sartori's "cascade model" of public opinion. Key words: public opinion, media, Two-step flow model, Spiral of Silence, Public Opinion Process, cascade model of public opinion, Alexis de Tocqeuville, John Stuart Mill, James Bryce, W. Lippmann, E. Katz, P. Lazarsfeld, E. Noelle-Neumann, I. Crespi, G. Sartori