PUBLIC POLITICAL MEETINGS IN GERMANY - DEMAND AND SUPPLY OF A SMALL PUBLIC SPHERE

The article reports the results of an analysis of a survey (former West Germany), concerning individual participation in public political meetings. Who are the people to participate in these public political meetings, in terms of sociodemographic and ideological characteristics, and thus influence public opinion? What kinds of organizers of public political meetings have the highest turnover? The empirical results are interpreted regarding two different reference points. What effect does the demand and supply structure have on the public opinion produced at public meetings; is the output systematically biased, favoring certain actors or social groups? Assuming that Jurgen Habermas' theoretical concept of the public sphere comes very close to the empirical phenomena of public political meetings, what conclusions can be drawn from the empirical results regarding the expectations Habermas combined with his concept?