Spiral of Silence Theory

Explanation of Theory:
The Spiral of Silence theory explains why people often feel the need to conceal their
opinions/preference/views/etc. when they fall within the minority of a group.
Theorist: Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann
Date: 1984
Primary Article:
Noelle-Neumann, E. (1984). The Spiral of Silence. University of Chicago, Chicago.
Metatheoretical Assumptions:
Ontological Assumption:
In this sense, the theory is extremely scientific. Spiral of Silence believes that there is
fate- opinions are dependent on the majority opinion of the group.
Epistemological Assumption:
The theory is also quite scientific in the relationship between the research being done
and the researcher. What is researched is not dependent on the observer, there is one
truth; an absolute if you will concerning the Spiral of Silence. People are quiet with
their opinions and that is that.
Axiological Assumption:
I feel that Spiral of Silence is scientific in the values sense as well. Research being
done is value neutral and unbiased on the researchers' behalf since they would have no
reason or means to skew the findings in any way.
Critique:
The Spiral of Silence theory is a scientific theory that for the most part is quite sound in
situations in which opinions are not of great consequence. For example, if my opinion
is a strong conviction and I am unwilling to bend in my beliefs then the theory may not
apply to me to such an extent. Also, if I am an opinion leader, (from the Diffusionof
Innovations theory) that is I am the one voicing my opinion and affecting other people;
then I also may not bend in my opinions either.
Ideas and Implications:
The Spiral of Silence is useful to apply in situations when trying to explain why people
cover up or change their opinions when in a group setting especially when they think
they are alone in their opinions.

Example:
An example to help illustrate the Spiral of Silence theory is a person going out with a
new group of people or on a date with someone you do not know very well. When
ordering pizza for this theory, I would conform to the mushroom lovers because I feel I
am in the minority since I do not like mushrooms and i think everyone else does.
Therefore I do not want to be rejected or alone in my opinions.

Spiral of Silence is an innovative theory of public opinion, developed by

Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann. Noelle-Neumann, founder and director of the
Allensbach Institute (Germany's version of the Gallop pole) follows the paths of
past philosophers Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Goethe, and James Madison, in that
she considers public opinion a tangible force that controls people's decisions.
The phrase "spiral of silence" actually refers to how people tend to remain silent
when they feel that their views are in the minority. Noelle-Neumann blames the
spiral of silence on fear of isolation. In other words, people who feel that they are
in the minority, keep quiet because they fear ridicule from the majority.
She gives a clear explanation on when and why people speak out and when
they decide to keep their mouths shut: "Individuals who...notice that their own
personal opinion is spreading and is taken over by others, will voice this opinion
self-confidently in public. On the other hand, individuals who notice that their own
opinions are losing ground, will be inclined to adopt a more reserved attitude."
What do you think? Everyone has been in a position where their opinion has
been in the minority. How do you react? Do you cave into the pressures of the
spiral of silence? Or are you a "hardcore non-conformist" who stands your
ground no matter what?

The Spiral of Silence

Summary:
The Spiral of Silence is a model of why people are unwilling to publicly express their
opinions when they believe they are in the minority. The model is based on three
premises:
1. people have a "quasi-statistical organ," a sixth-sense if you will, which allows
them to know the prevailing public opinion, even without access to polls,
2. people have a fear of isolation and know what behaviors will increase their
likelihood of being socially isolated, and
3. people are reticent to express their minority views, primarily out of fear of being
isolated.

The closer a person believes the opinion held is similar to the prevailing public opinion,
the more they are willing to openly disclose that opinion in public. Then, if public
sentiment changes, the person will recognize that the opinion is less in favor and will be
less willing to express that opinion publicly. As the perceived distance between public
opinion and a person's personal opinion grows, the more unlikely the person is to express
their opinion.
Consider the case of Dennis Rodman, one of the stars of the Chicago Bulls basketball
team. Mr. Rodman has consistently been an incredible competitor and rebounder for the
Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. Over the years he attracted a large
fan base, but watched it fall in recent years as he got "weirder" or more "individualistic"
(depending on how you interpret his behavior). Fans in San Antonio welcomed Mr.
Rodman when he first arrived, but vocal supporters were hard to find just before he was
traded to Chicago. At the start of the 1996-1997 season Mr. Rodman's stock was high in
Chicago, falling off somewhat after the "kick the cameraman" incident. I wish him well,
but if the public becomes displeased with him the Spiral of Silence will strike his
supporters once again.

Introduction
For this research report, I read and article in the 14th volume of Communication
Yearbook. The article, entitled "Silent Majorities and Loud Minorities," was written by
Serge Moscovici, and provides his commentary on Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's theory of
Spiral of Silence. (Users of Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher may hover their mouse over
this paragraph for a proper MLA citation of this article. If that doesn't work for whatever
reason, a full citation can also be found at the end of this report.) In the following
sections and paragraphs I will summarize the contents of the article.

Summary
Moscovici began by discussing democracy as it relates to Spiral of Silence. He states
that democracy results from the dialogues and discussions that take place constantly
between thousands of people. He then gives an opinion that Noelle-Neumann has, which
states that for democracy to work well, it depends on the silence and non-participation of
a large percentage of the voting public. He compares this "spiral of apathy" to NoelleNeumann's Spiral of Silence theory (Moscovici, 298).
Moscovici goes on to lightly touch on his belief that silence can influence opinions
just as much as speech can. However, he doesn't really say much more than that on the
subject. Instead, he reverts back to a discussion of Noelle-Neumann's Spiral of Silence.
He talks about how the public has what he called a "quasi-statistical" sense. By that, he
means that people seem to have an innate ability to figure out what everyone else thinks
and do discover what seems to be the dominant opinion that is held by a society. When
they figure this majority opinion out, they then either consciously or unconsciously shape
their own beliefs and attitudes or hold onto their own opinion while keeping silent so as
not to stand out as the ugly duckling of the society. Moscovici compares this with the
popular clich, "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer." In terms of the Spiral of

Silence, he says that "majorities get more and more in the majority and minorities
dwindle out of sight" (Moscovici, 302).
As his article continues, he moves on to another of Noelle-Neumann's beliefs, that
people are afraid of the threat of isolation. By voicing an opinion that is held not by the
majority, but instead by the minority, a person or group might become outcast. Depending
on the situation, some might even consider the minority opinion as being deviant and
insubordinate with an aggressive aspect to it. It's for this reason that the majority
sometimes separates itself from the minority by isolation.
Moscovici goes on to say that Noelle-Neumann uses a fear of embarrassment as an
index of the fear of ostracism (Moscovici, 303). When someone voices an opinion that is
not held by the rest of the group, that person almost immediately feels as if he or she has
been singled out and judged by the rest. By sticking with the majority opinion, we can
help prevent upsetting the routine that has been established.

Evaluation and Conclusion

I feel that many of Moscovici's observations in this article are very accurate.
Especially his interpretations of Noelle-Neumann's ideas on dissent and isolation. I can't
even begin to count the number of times that I've kept silent because of a fear of being
judged or even called upon to support my opinion.
I found this article to be fairly easy to understand. Unlike Erin's article which was
written in the 1950s, this article came from the early part of this decade. I found the
correlation between Em Griffin's Spiral of Silence chapter and this article to be very tight.
The textbook and this article compliment each other well and add an additional level of
understanding to the theory since some ideas are presented in more detail and in an easyto-understand written form.