THE PUBLIC IN THE PRIVATE, PRIVATELY ABOUT THE PUBLIC: OPINION POLLS IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS

The article deals with changes to the conceptualization of public opinion polls brought about by the invention of public opinion polls, and their structural similarity to certain institutionalised political processes, such as elections and referendum. Author considers that the opinion polls should be addressed as part of an institutionalized political system, not as"scientific instrument for public opinion research. "The political institutionalisation of polls requires the establishment of detailed rules of implementation of polling and report on its results in the media, which can also reduce the likelihood of misperceptions in the opinion processes, which are illustrated in the article with examples of the third-person effect and looking-glass perceptions from the Slovenian part of the European research project on political communication cultures (2006-2010).