Recent Books in the Field of Public Opinion Research

Abstract

Nathaniel Copsey contends that the question whether it is desirable for public opinion to influence foreign policy makers is more a matter of personal opinion than objective scientific investigation. He chooses to aim his study at answering the question what impact public opinion precisely does have on foreign policy makers. Poland and Ukraine are situated on different sides of the frontier of the European Union. They were chosen for this study because of their contrasting political, economic, and social positions. The focus of this study is on the role of public opinion in the bi-lateral Polish–Ukrainian relations. Public opinion can be classified in various categories such as mass public opinion, opinion formers, and informed public opinion. Nathaniel Copsey focuses on informed public opinion and he draws on the results of opinion polls and a series of innovative focus groups to show the impact of informed public opinion on foreign policy makers in Poland and Ukraine. He includes the influence of the historical, economic, and institutional settings in his analyses by paying attention to the foreign policy decision-making systems, the Polish–Ukrainian relations in the past, and the interests and preferences of the business communities in the two countries.