Public opinion is no
more than this: what
people think that other
people think.
–Alfred Austin

Elisabeth NoelleNeumann
› Political Scientist
born in Germany.
She wrote for a
Nazi newspaper
in 1940.
 Date: 1974
(Elisabeth NoelleNeumann)

“Fear of isolation when the group or public realizes
that the individual has a divergent opinion from the
status quo (Davie 2010).”
 Fear of punishment for said divergent opinion that
may lead to loss of job, loss of friendships, etc.
(Davie 2010)
 Willingness to state opinion is based upon what we
think the public opinion is.


Consonance
› The similarities of beliefs, attitudes, and values
held by the media.

Cumulativeness
› The process of the media repeating themselves
across programs and across time.

Pluralistic ignorance
› Mistaken observation of how most people think.

Public opinion
› Attitudes and behaviors expressed in public to
avoid isolation. (West)
Opinions are voiced or not voiced based
on public opinion.
 Minority is underestimated and majority is
focused on.
 Majority is emboldened and is the only
one to be seen by the media.
 Because we do not know everything
about the world, we observe and make
inferences on a daily basis.


The media decides what is of interest to
the people.
› Sea World

The media also makes a subject
controversial.
› Viagra vs. birth control
“To the individual, not isolating himself is
more important than his own judgment
(Wiley, pg. 45).”
 Friendships and other relationships can
be strained because of opinion being
stated.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8
_POt2KlfQ







Davie, G. “Spiral of Silence” Weblog entry. Mass Comm Theory. 12 Mar. 2010. Web.
14 Feb. 2014.
"The Spiral of Silence A Theory of Public Opinion." Wiley Online Website. John Wiley
& Sons, Inc, 7 Feb. 2006. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.
"Public Opinion Quotes." (2014): n.pag. Brainy Quotes. Web. 21 Feb 2014.
<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/public_opinion.html>.
Scheufle, Dietram A. "TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE: A
CONCEPTUAL REVIEW AND EMPIRICAL OUTLOOK."International Journal of Public
Opinion Research. (2000): n. page. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
<http://ijpor.oxfordjournals.org/content/12/1/3.abstract>.
West, Richard. Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application.
Fourth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 410-426. Print.
Press, Associated. "Gay marriage facts and statistics 2013."Politico. 27 Mar 2013: n.
page. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. <http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/gay-marriagefacts-and-statistics-2013-89376.html>.
Childs, David. "Elisabeth Noelle Neumann: Pioneer of public-opinion polling and
market research." Independent 10 Apr 2010, n. pag. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/elisabeth-noelle-neumannpioneer-of-publicopinion-polling-and-market-research-1940766.html>.