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What did V.O. Key mean by latent public opinion?

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Portrait print of Jacques Necker by Henri Grevedon after Joseph-Sifford Duplessis, showing Necker in 18th-century attire with a lace cravat and curled hair, facing slightly right. — public opinion Jacques Necker, print by Henri Grévedon after a painting by Louis-Joseph-Siffrède Duplessis, 1822; in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

In the study of public opinion, V.O. Key defined "latent" public opinion as the probable future reaction of the public to a current decision or action taken by a government official or institution.1

Rather than representing an active or vocal consensus, latent public opinion functions as a potential consequence that politicians must anticipate. Key argued that officials who ignore the possible future repercussions of these underlying attitudes risk political setbacks or defeat in subsequent elections. Conversely, leaders who account for latent public opinion may choose to implement currently unpopular policies if they believe those actions will yield significant positive results at a more critical time in the future.1

By considering these prospective reactions, politicians operate within the limits set by the public, even when those opinions are not currently being expressed or mobilized.1