Spirals of Silence: Expressing Opinions When the Climate of Opinion Is Unambiguous

In a field study, Noelle-Neumann's spiral of silence was adapted to a case of racially polarized, highly publicized opinions: the O. J. Simpson criminal trial. The predicted "spirals between and within groups" (based on a fear-of-negative-sanctions explanation) and "spirals between groups" (based on a presentation-of-a-public-face explanation) were not confirmed. However, there was evidence of racial differences in respondents' concerns regarding the impact of their expressed opinions. One's willingness to be quoted varied significantly in an unexpected fashion; majority group members (Whites) interviewed by minority group members (Blacks) were significantly more willing to be quoted than were minority members interviewed by majority members. Also, respondent race interacted significantly with the media outlet in which the subject was told his or her opinion might appear in predicting reported interest in the Simpson trial.