Soft Power by Hendrik W. Ohnesorge

Author:Hendrik W. Ohnesorge
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030299224
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Other scholars and practitioners in the field of public opinion research agree with this assessment. Ronald D. Asmus accordingly asserted that “[t]he public can hold views that are at times inconsistent or even contradictory”620 and François Heisbourg, with respect to the perceptions of the United States abroad, likewise maintained that these may at times be “contrasted and indeed contradictory.”621 Additionally, as Ingrid d’Hooghe pointed out, recent statements by national decision-makers regarding a certain country are likely to influence public sentiment and thus the results of opinion polls.622 Bearing in mind these caveats, public opinion polls can nevertheless be regarded “as a barometer of public sentiments.”623

Since the aim of any researcher should be, with Nye, to draw “a continuous picture,” however, further instruments besides opinion polls should be included to determine Actor B’s reception of another actor’s soft power resources or instruments, since a sole reliance on surveys would fall short.624 D’Hooghe thus asserts that “there are certain limitations to the use of opinion polls as an instrument to measure perceptions”— including the selection and formulation of questions as well as the timing or date of the interview.625 Discussing ways to examine the attraction created by (Chinese) soft power efforts , Jean-Marc F. Blanchard and Fujia Lu have accordingly noted,Techniques for gauging such attraction include examining the public and private statements of key decisionmakers, reviewing government or program documents, interviewing targets, examining how China justifies its actions (e.g., with reference to a particular international law or norm), and content analysis.626

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