Legeza Y. Features of interaction of public opinion and authority in Ukraine.

Political analysis of concept "public opinion" and its possibility to influence authorities is performed in the dissertation. At the same time authority's ability to change public opinion is thoroughly investigated. Features of social and political life, observed over the last few decades - growing autonomy of public political domain, i.e. development and strengthening of purely public forms of interaction and confrontation between political entities - has brought to life new forms of political activities and new, increasingly influential type of professional - expert in political science, specializing in political interpretation - who turned the opinion polls-backed reasoning into a typical practice. It has been stated and further specified that growing influence of the mass media factors on public opinion, coupled with reduction of political activity of the citizens and underdeveloped civil society relying on horizontal civic interaction, is characteristic for Ukraine that undergoes the period of post-socialist transformations. Definitions, forms and functions of mass media, that can help the authority to form and change public opinion at the present stage of development of the Ukrainian society are examined.