A new study explores Millennial and Generation Z voters’ willingness to voice their political beliefs in divergent public opinion climates during elections. Using the Spiral of Silence theory, the researchers found that young voters who are part of the internet and social media era are not silent any longer.

The findings by Spiro Kiousis, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications executive associate dean, and a team of researchers are shared in “The Political Youth Voice Spiral: An Application of the Spiral of Silence to Opinion Expression Among Young American Voters” published in the Quarterly Review of Business Disciplines, Volume 9, Issue 1, May 2022.

The study drew on the Spiral of Silence theory which postulates that individuals’ willingness to express their true beliefs in public depends on the congruency between personal beliefs and the public opinion climate. Generation Z young voters in the 2016 election year were much more expressive regardless of public opinion climates and even more expressive in incongruent opinion environments. Research indicated that they formed stronger counter views, compared to young Millennial voters in the 2004 election year.

According to the authors, “This study observed the deviating patterns of the fading Spiral of Silence, the dual Spiral of Voice, and the reverse Spiral of Silence among the two youngest generations in the American political landscape, and the tendency was stronger for Generation Zs over Millennials.”

Posted: May 23, 2022
Category: College News
Tagged as: Spiro Kiousis