Deck 8: Your Opinion Expression in a Public Context

Question 1

Which of the following describes an understanding of the term "public opinion" (found in scholarly literature) ?

A) Public opinion as an aggregation of individual opinions
B) Public opinion as the product of elite opinion
C) Public opinion as the range of views people are comfortable expressing publicly
D) All of the above

Answer 1

All of the above

Question 2

Lin is taking a course where everyone who participates in class discussions expresses liberal political views. Lin disagrees with the classmates' views in many ways but refrains from speaking up in discussions, as he/she worries about being judged or isolated by classmates.
Which term best describes what shapes Lin's behavior?

A) Avant-garde
B) Fear of isolation
C) Dual climate of opinion
D) Opinion expression

Answer 2

Fear of isolation

Question 3

A campus newspaper covers an upcoming election of student representatives and includes many testimonials (brief interviews) of students who support election candidate A. As a result, most students on campus believe the majority will vote for candidate A, even though in reality the majority of students believes election candidate B has the better political platform and intends to vote for candidate B. Which term best describes the above situation?

A) Avant-garde
B) Fear of isolation
C) Dual climate of opinion
D) Opinion expression

Answer 3

Dual climate of opinion

Question 4

A(n) maintains and expresses a certain political preference, even when a new, different political preference is becoming predominant.

A) Hard core group
B) Reference group
C) Avantgarde group
D) None of the above

Question 5

In what way might internet users gauge public opinion online?
By examining:

A) "Likes" or reactions to posts
B) Individuals' posts
C) Mass media news commentary on news websites
D) All of the above are possible ways to gauge public opinion online

Question 6

Willingness to express an opinion is higher in an online context compared to an offline context

Question 7

According to the Spiral of Silence theory, the mass media …

A) Actively silence oppositional voices
B) Provide indications of status/shifts in opinion
C) Provide the public with misleading information about polls
D) All of the above

Question 8

According to Spiral of Silence theory, expression of opinions is shaped by…

A) fear of intimacy
B) fear of introspection
C) fear of isolation
D) fear of indoctrination

Question 9

According to Spiral of Silence theory, the quasi-statistical sense a person has of the opinion
Climate in his/her social environment is influenced by…

A) Mass media
B) Interpersonal encounters
C) All of the above
D) None of the above

Question 10

Spiral of silence theory was developed before the internet age and roots in experiences from the Nazi-era in Germany. Research indicates that it does apply well to online contexts of opinion expression.

Question 11

According to Spiral of Silence theory, which of the following is true:

A) If individuals believe that the majority view is aligned with their own view, they are more likely to express their view
B) If individuals believe that the majority view is aligned with their own view, they are less likely to express their view
C) If individuals believe that the majority view is discrepant from their own view, they are more likely to express their view
D) All of the above

Question 12

John sees a lot of emotionally-charged postings about gun control in his social media feed that contradict his own opinion. He subsequently avoids that topic in conversations. Which theory explains this best?

A) Social cognitive theory
B) Spiral of silence theory
C) Desensitization
D) Excitation transfer theory

Question 13

Maria believes that Americans in general support the president and is a supporter herself. In her group of friends that she interacts with regularly, the majority of people strongly dislike the president. Which concept from the Spiral of Silence Theory framework is relevant for this scenario?

A) Incivility
B) Outgroup
C) Reference group
D) Social network

Question 14

Which of the following is a common way scholars conceptualize public opinion?

A) Public opinion as personal attitude
B) Public opinion as facts laid out in an editorial
C) Public opinion as aggregation of individual opinions
D) None of the above

Question 15

Ali is having dinner with his parents and states that he supports stricter immigration laws. Would this be considered public opinion expression?

A) Yes, this is public opinion expression
B) No, this is not public opinion expression

Question 16

Elli does not think that gay marriage should be legal, despite growing support for gay marriage among Americans. According to the Spiral of Silence theory framework, Eli could be considered a member of what kind of group?

A) Hard core
B) Avantgarde
C) A reference group
D) None of the above

Question 17

A Dual Opinion Climate occurs when what happens?

A) Two people argue, but they both think they're correct
B) What people believe is the majority opinion about a topic is actually not the majority opinion
C) There are two very popular opinions about a topic, but they are in opposition of each other
D) All of the above

Question 18

In theorizing regarding public opinion, denotes a group of individuals who take a new view/position on an issue that is not (yet) popular.

A) Outgroup
B) Hardcore
C) Avantgarde
D) Outsiders