"It is a common assumption that governments using public opinion research primarily to help them make decisions about major policy issues. However, how valid is this assumption? In The Roles of Public Opinion Research in Canadian Government, Christopher Page presents a major scholarly investigation into the uses and effectiveness of polls and focus groups." "The Role of Public Opinion Research in Canadian Government demonstrates that opinion research has a greater variety of roles than is often recognized, and that, despite conventional wisdom, its foremost impact is to help governments determine how to communicate with citizens. It is an essential contribution to the study of Canadian politics, filling a major gap in the scholarship."--Jacket.