influencing public opinion

• Pressure groups


  Groups that try to influence government policy and public opinion on particular issues
• 1. pressure groups


  • Attempt to influence how the public feel about a particular issue
  • If they have public support, then the government are more likely to listen to them
• Cause groups


  Pressure groups that aim to promote a specific issue, and have open membership from the public
• PETA


  • Had a UK campaign against factory farming
  • Managed to rally public support against a proposal to build an enormous chicken farm in North Yorkshire, and the plan was abandoned
• The number of different cause groups means that any one pressure group's attempts to try and get public attention and support can be ignored and have little impact
• This can lead pressure groups to try and get attention in more shocking or ridiculous ways, such as PETA trying to make people care about fish welfare more by convincing everyone to call them 'sea kittens'
• Influencing politicians directly


  Pressure groups trying to influence government policy and decision making directly