Search results for "Spiral of silence"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
The Spiral of Silence a Theory of Public Opinion
1974
Returning to classical statements on the concept of public opinion, I have tried to substantiate empirically the process o f public opinion formation through the individual’s observation of his or her social environment. Of all the pertinent statements by Tocqueville (S), Tiinnies (9), Bryce (4), and Allport (l), I can mention here only Allport’s example of a process of public opinion: the pressure brought to bear on householders in a neighborhood to shovel the snow from their sidewalks. This example illustrates that social conventions, customs, and norms are included, along with political questions, among the “situations” and “proposals of significance” with which a large number of people …
Religion, Religiosity, Sex, and Willingness to Express Political Opinions: A Spiral of Silence Analysis of the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election
2014
This study analyzes the extent to which an individual's sex, religion, and religiosity influence their willingness to voice an opinion about Barack Obama's ethnicity in the 2008 election. Results from 569 college students surveyed reveal sex to be a nonsignificant predictor, whereas religion and religiosity significantly influence willingness to voice an opinion about Obama's ethnicity. More religious individuals were more likely to voice an opinion about Obama's ethnicity as a voting issue in the campaign. There were significant differences among religious groups and their willingness to voice an opinion on this issue.
Media Effects: Cumulation and Duration
2017
The cumulation of media effects describes a process during which numerous (often, but not necessarily, small) effects accumulate over time as individuals use a certain medium or specific media contents repeatedly. Cumulative effects are especially central in forming individuals' perceptions of reality and are therefore a central premise in several theories and approaches that explain media effects (e.g., cultivation, agenda-setting, or spiral of silence). Whereas effects of single stimuli typically persist only in the short term, cumulative effects of media messages are long-term effects. This entry theorizes on the processes occurring between the short-term effects of a single stimulus and…
Political Correctness and Academic Principles: A Reply to Simpson
1997
The author discusses Christopher Simpson's (1996) article, ‘Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's ‘Spiral of Silence’ and the Historical Context of Communication Theory.’ He questions the relevance of biographical data for the evaluation of scientific theories and methods, and analyzes the rhetorical structure of Simpson's arguments. He concludes that Simpson's claims about the influence of Noelle's biography on her scholarly work are not grounded in evidence.