In the master’s thesis, the theoretical background of the concept of public opinion and theories related to public opinion are first presented. Since the 20th century, public opinion has increasingly been equated with the results of public opinion polls. This interpretation is controversial for researchers especially because it implies that public opinion is a reflection of the current state of society, while it should be viewed as something that is constantly evolving, primarily through discussion in society, as well as other processes.
The central theme of public opinion in the legislative process is at first presented in the political sphere. To better understand the roles of discussion and argumentation in debates that take place in the legislative body, a value framework is established through deliberative democracy, which has emphasized the importance of quality discussion and argumentation before adopting new policies. I also present the importance of involving the public in legislative processes. I use these efforts as a substantive context for understanding the role that public opinion has or could have in the political and legislative field. In the legislative field, I focus on the argument of public opinion when it is used to justify a certain position in parliamentary debate. Even though the argument of public opinion is considered internally unconvincing, we must consider the value context of democratic governance and representative decision-making, which draws its legitimacy from the people. The acceptability of the argument of public opinion in the debate on the adoption of a law is to some extent changed. For an overview of the aspects of the use of the argument in the legislative process, as well as in the chapter on public opinion and politics, I mainly refer to already conducted analyses and studies.
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