Abstract
Philip M. H. Bell, Government Strategies on Influencing Public Opinion : Assessment, Censorship, Propagande., p. 65-71. The British government set itself three tasks in relation to public opinion in wartime : to assess the state of opinion; to control it negatively by censorship; and to influence it positively through propaganda. Assessment was achieved through public opinion polls, BBC audience research, and the government's own Home Intelligence reports. Censorship was less severe on the press and books than on the radio, where every word broadcast was subject to censorship on grounds of both security and opinion. Propaganda was designed to encourage specific actions, to explain government policy, and to consolidate support for the war effort in general. Through press, radio and cinema, propaganda could reach almost the whole population, but its effect is difficult to estimate. The Ministry of Information (p.t.o.) and the BBC assumed that they could influence, but by no means control, public opinion; and they were probably right.
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