National Mood
An inchoate, broad, but nonetheless real consensus among the population around some national issue.
(Pal, 2006, p. 132)
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People and government sense a national mood, that is, when a large number of people in a nation are thinking along certain common lines. The national mood can change in discernable ways from time to time, and these changes can impact policy agendas and policy outcomes in important ways.
References
Pal, Leslie. (2006). “Beyond Policy Analysis: Public Issue Management in Turbulent Times.” 3rd Edition. Toronto: Nelson – Thomson.