The Spiral of Silence and Fear of Isolation

2007/08/13 by Kurt Neuwirth, Edward Frederick, Charles W. Mayo · 4 citations
Psychology · Arts and Humanities · Engineering · #Communication in Education and Healthcare #Media Influence and Health #Rhetoric and Communication Studies #Isolation (microbiology) #Silence #Spiral (railway) #Psychology #Engineering #Aesthetics #Art #Microbiology #Biology

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2007.00352.x

openalex publication_date 2007/08/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

This research explores the relationship between fear of isolation and allied concepts derived from the communication apprehension (CA) literature—CA-trait and CA-state—on opinion expression. The study took place during the final run-up to the Fall 2002 U.S. Congressional elections, and the research topic focused on the debate surrounding the possibility of the United States invading Iraq. The results suggest that (a) CA-trait, CA-state, and fear of isolation are empirically distinct; (b) these constructs differentially predict opinion expression; and (c) customary ways of assessing opinion expression in past research likely have underestimated conformity effects.

Citations

• Turbulences in the Climate of Opinion: Methodological Applications of the Spiral of Silence Theory
• The Spiral of Silence a Theory of Public Opinion
• TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW AND EMPIRICAL OUTLOOK
• The theory of planned behavior

Cited by

• Social Capital and the Spiral of Silence
• Societal Majority, Facebook, and the Spiral of Silence in the 2016 US Presidential Election
• The spiral of silence: examining how cultural predispositions, news attention, and opinion congruency relate to opinion expression
• Spiral of silence [wikipedia]