Children with AIDS Attending Public School: An Analysis of the Spiral of Silence

1994/01/01 by William J. Gonzenbach, Robert Louis Stevenson · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Media Studies and Communication #Order (exchange) #Perception #Psychology #Silence #Social Media and Politics #Social and Cultural Dynamics #Social psychology #Sociology

paper · doi:10.1080/10584609.1994.9963007

openalex publication_date 1994/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29

Abstract

This study applies Elisabeth Noelle‐Neumann's spiral of silence theory to the controversial issue of whether children with AIDS should be allowed to attend public school. The study tests the theory's hypotheses in light of two content analyses of the media's treatment of the issue. The findings offer tentative and qualified support for Noelle‐Neumann's theoretical propositions about the relationship between individuals' perceptions of the issue and the media's tenor of the issue; particularly that of television. The findings suggest the need to address the role of other agents of influence, including reference groups, and to use time‐based data to unravel the causal order of the relationships.

Citations

• Pluralistic Ignorance and the Spiral of Silence: A Formal Analysis
• The Spiral of Silence a Theory of Public Opinion
• A study of normative and informational social influences upon individual judgment.
• Compliance, identification, and internalization three processes of attitude change
• Public Beliefs About the Beliefs of the Public

Cited by

• Spiral of silence [wikipedia]