The spiral of silence inflates our perception of political consensus by ________ alternative views.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The spiral of silence theory suggests that people with minority opinions may choose to remain silent out of fear of social isolation. This can lead to a perception of consensus that is artificially inflated by the absence of alternative views. Therefore, the best choice is D, which implies that alternative views are being excluded from public discourse. Publicly denouncing, explicitly discouraging, and refuting alternative views would involve acknowledging their existence, which is contrary to the premise of the spiral of silence theory.

The Spiral of Silence Inflates Our Perception of Political Consensus