Abstract

Most analyses of public opinion polling focus on questions of bias or accuracy. In contrast, this study assumes the validity of polling and instead investigates polling data as a form of rhetorical argument. While ancient and modern traditions conceive of doxa as unstated collective opinion, modern opinion polling represents a transformation of the concept of doxa in deliberative democracies. By analyzing specific polls, polling data is shown to advance implicit claims about public policy and good governance. Thus, polling data do not embody an objective empirical artifact, but rather a form of deliberative argumentation that is at odds with democratic life. The study concludes by advocating a revitalization of the public culture of contestation and by discussing more indirect, intuitive means of assessing larger opinion trends.