vix.ing · top · new · best · stats · spec

Perceptions of Opinion “Climates” and Willingness to Discuss the Issue of Abortion

1990/09/01 by Charles T. Salmon, Kurt Neuwirth · 2 citations
Social Sciences · Psychology · #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Social and Intergroup Psychology #Abortion #Expression (computer science) #Perception #Social psychology #Psychology #Computer science #Pregnancy

paper · doi:10.1177/107769909006700312

openalex publication_date 1990/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

This 1986 survey of 432 Madison, Wisconsin, residents describes an elaborated version of Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's model of the “spiral of silence.” Consistent with her hypotheses, persons whose opinions were congruent with those of the national majority were more willing to speak to a stranger than were those whose opinions were shared only by a minority; however, the same result was not obtained for either a different mode of expression or system level. Factors such as involvement and knowledge were found to directly influence opinion expression, whereas education and gender were found to be indirectly related to expression.

Cited by