Which term describes a scattered group of people who share a common interest or concern?

• A. Solidaristic crowds
• B. Mass behavior
• C. Public
• D. Contagion theory

Answer: (C)

In sociology, a public refers to dispersed individuals who share a common concern and come together to discuss or act on that issue, often through communication channels rather than being physically gathered. This matches the idea of a scattered group linked by a shared interest—you don’t need to be in the same place to form a public.

This is why it fits best: the emphasis is on shared concern and communication among people who are not physically together, rather than on an actual crowd or crowd-like behavior. A crowd implies a physical gathering in one place, which isn’t what’s being described here. Mass behavior covers large-scale actions but doesn’t necessarily highlight dispersed individuals connected by a common issue. Contagion theory explains how emotions spread through crowds, not a scattered group discussing an issue. Solidaristic crowds refer to groups brought together by solidarity in a concrete gathering, not a dispersed public.

So the term that describes a scattered group of people who share a common interest or concern is the public.