It is hard to assess the independent effect of public opinions on shaping public policy. Public policy frequently differs from the national opinion polls, and the Constitution contains no provision for national referenda on policy issues. The public doesn't have opinions on many policy problems, public opinion is not stable, and decision makers can easily misinterpret and also manipulate the public opinion. Public policy is more probable to conform to elite opinion than to mass opinion.

problem: Describe the impact of political process on policy content in context of the prior statements.