Megaphone or muzzle?
The Spiral of Silence and candidate support on social media during presidential elections
Keywords:
political campaigns, spiral of silence, social capital, opinion leadership, presidential electionAbstract
Recent polling results suggest voters might be hesitant to express their voting intentions in presidential elections, despite the vibrant social media activity of candidate supporters. Using a national, representative survey, this study sought to determine if the spiral of silence influenced social media sharing, or if other factors encouraged the sharing of political endorsements. Based on the study findings, the best predictors of social media sharing intentions were opinion leadership and bridging social capital, with social capital exerting the greatest influence.
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