Exam 8: Your Opinion Expression in a Public Context

Maria believes that Americans in general support the president and is a supporter herself. In her group of friends that she interacts with regularly, the majority of people strongly dislike the president. Which concept from the Spiral of Silence Theory framework is relevant for this scenario?

Which of the following is a common way scholars conceptualize public opinion?

According to Spiral of Silence theory, expression of opinions is shaped by…

Which of the following describes an understanding of the term "public opinion" (found in scholarly literature) ?

A Dual Opinion Climate occurs when what happens?

John sees a lot of emotionally-charged postings about gun control in his social media feed that contradict his own opinion. He subsequently avoids that topic in conversations. Which theory explains this best?

According to Spiral of Silence theory, the quasi-statistical sense a person has of the opinion Climate in his/her social environment is influenced by…

According to Spiral of Silence theory, which of the following is true:

Lin is taking a course where everyone who participates in class discussions expresses liberal political views. Lin disagrees with the classmates' views in many ways but refrains from speaking up in discussions, as he/she worries about being judged or isolated by classmates. Which term best describes what shapes Lin's behavior?

Willingness to express an opinion is higher in an online context compared to an offline context

Ali is having dinner with his parents and states that he supports stricter immigration laws. Would this be considered public opinion expression?

According to the Spiral of Silence theory, the mass media …

Spiral of silence theory was developed before the internet age and roots in experiences from the Nazi-era in Germany. Research indicates that it does apply well to online contexts of opinion expression.

In theorizing regarding public opinion, denotes a group of individuals who take a new view/position on an issue that is not (yet) popular.

A(n) maintains and expresses a certain political preference, even when a new, different political preference is becoming predominant.

Elli does not think that gay marriage should be legal, despite growing support for gay marriage among Americans. According to the Spiral of Silence theory framework, Eli could be considered a member of what kind of group?

A campus newspaper covers an upcoming election of student representatives and includes many testimonials (brief interviews) of students who support election candidate A. As a result, most students on campus believe the majority will vote for candidate A, even though in reality the majority of students believes election candidate B has the better political platform and intends to vote for candidate B. Which term best describes the above situation?

In what way might internet users gauge public opinion online? By examining: