Is public opinion generally clear, providing broad signals to elected leaders about what needs to be done? Why or why not?

This
question is really too vague to have a precise answer. Thus the key to writing an essay on the
topic is to break down the issues involved into more specific and measurable elements.

First, one should note that "public opinion" is a vague term. In democracies,
the main instrument for quantifying public opinion is voting. There are two systems involved in
voting. One can vote for individuals who are elected to legislatures which vote on specific
issues, as is done in "republics," or one can have direct democracy in which one votes
on specific legislation.

Obviously in direct democracy, citizens have a more
direct influence on decisions, but as has been shown by the example of California, the problem
with direct democracy is that voting in isolated propositions can lead to contradictions, as
when voters approve tax reductions and increased spending simultaneously. In the case of elected
officials, they may be overly influenced by small groups, especially the very vocal or very
wealthy and not necessary responsive to the majority of voters. Moreover, in many countries,
electoral systems are problematic. In the United States, for example, small states such as
Wyoming have a greater number of senators per person than lager states such as California,
violating the principle of "one person, one vote."

Other types of
public opinion such as polling, focus groups, lobbying, and advocacy groups as well as campaign
contributions, also influence politics. Given that people have varied political opinions, there
is really no thing such as unified "public opinion" but merely competing groups to
which political leaders must respond.