The spiral of silence: A theory of public opinion by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann

The spiral of silence: A theory of public opinion by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann

Introduction

Spiral of silence is a theory of mass communication which was put forward by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974. It describes the process of formation of public opinion. According to the author, it is a process which an individual experience when he observes that the opinions he has are not strong enough or losing ground (Noelle-Neumann, 1974). The more this phenomenon appears to him the more uncertain he thinks of himself and become less expressive regarding his opinions. This process of uncertainty is often triggered by the perception that individual have about his social environment. The author calls it the “quasi-statistical picture of the distribution of opinions.”

Discussion

The influence of mass media in molding the opinions and also looking at own views are also given importance in this study of Noelle-Neumann. His own views become passive when he come across come different but strong opinions again and again and this makes him less inclined to raise his voice or express his own thoughts. Owing to this fact, silenced individuals perceive public opinions as the one that are accepted by majority and can be expressed without any fear of rejection. Such individuals feel danger and isolation if they possess an opposing opinion (Noelle-Neumann, 1974). Noelle Neumann elaborates it with an example of a classical writer Tonnies to explain his concept. According to Tonnies, public opinions are always thought and accepted to be reliable and trustworthy. It induces the silence or demands consent and even less contradictions. It shows that the majority, who remain silent towards expressing its own views, do so due to the feeling of being defeated.

For this study, and to test the spiral of silence theory, the author formulated five hypotheses which she tested through several surveys in early 70s. Those hypothesis where developed on important public opinion concepts and prominent theories (Noelle-Neumann, 1974). Following were the five hypotheses:

Individuals create a representation of the dispersion of opinions in their social environment and also of the opinion tend. According to this hypothesis, individual are more attentive towards the happenings of their environment because it help them determining the most persuasive and strong social opinion.

The willingness of individuals to expose their views publicly is different according to their assessment frequency distribution and trends in which the opinions are expressed ...