British government views on the importance of public opinion during the Second World War

Abstract

Philip Bell, British Government Views on the Importance of Public Opinion During the Second World War, p. 33-38. The British government attributed a high importance to public opinion, which had four different aspects : Parliamentary opinion; the views of the 'political nation' (activists and militants); the role of the mass media (press, radio and cinema); and general opinion in the country. Opinion in all these forms was considered vital in a number of areas. First, morale was crucial, because if it wavered or collapsed (as seemed possible, e.g. during 1942) the war might be lost. Second, the elaborate systems of wartime administration relied largely upon the cooperation of the people to whom they were applied. Third, the government believed that some aspects of foreign policy, notably relations with the USA and the Soviet Union, might be greatly affected by public opinion. For all these reasons, the British government set out to assess and influence public opinion.