Study suggests social media is key contributor to self-censorship
Most Republican voters support childhood vaccine mandates, yet may be discouraged from publicly expressing these views, a new study suggests.
To determine the source of this disconnect, researchers conducted a survey that revealed differences between Republican voters who support childhood vaccine mandates and those who do not.
According to the study, most Republicans surveyed supported immunization requirements for children and held favorable attitudes toward vaccine safety, while those who said they opposed vaccine mandates did not acknowledge this support exists – and expressed a greater willingness to share their vaccine views to others.
In contrast, the Republicans who supported vaccine mandates were largely aware that their views were in the majority, but tended to be less outspoken.
This phenomenon, called the false consensus effect, describes a misperception by people about how widespread their views are and a belief that their opinions are shared by others – when they are not.
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“Those in the majority may simply sit out of the conversation because they see online environments as being dominated by extreme views and don’t want to engage in uncivil discourse,” said Dixon. “What’s significant is that those in the majority may self-silence even when they are aware of their majority status.”
The study was recently published in Human Communication Research.
I think a lot of Democrats do this too, just on different issues. Both parties have really been taken over by extremists.
Care to tell us some specific people who you think are extremists in the democratic party? And which particular policy positions you think are extreme?
I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut when my liberal/progressive friends discuss gun control. The left side of that debate is marbled with misunderstandings, misrepresentations of fact, and flawed reasoning.
Gun control isn’t a very important issue to me, but much of the liberal side of the debate just makes me cringe. I’ve learned to just shut up about it, though, because when I speak up I usually get shouted down and abused for going against the groupthink.
No fucking way I ever vote Republican again, though.
What you think is the “left side” of that debate… isn’t. The two factions you see fighting are both moderates/liberals, but who differ in their level of authoritarianism.
In contrast, actual leftists are folks like the Black Panthers. As the saying goes, “if you go far enough left you get your guns back.”
What, you think people have unrestricted access to death machines is ok?
Thanks for helping demonstrate the dynamic I was describing
Thanks for not answering my question.
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It’s complicated my good sir.
I am a brown person. We do not have the same luxuries when we are stopped by the police. We get harassed by racists. BLM protests where we were armed were the most peaceful. While the ones where we weren’t were filled with abusive riot police.
I do not want death machines. But when death machines already exist and are in the hands of evil men, I have little choice.
Well then banning them stops them being in everyone’s hands, ‘evil’ people included. This just sounds like the ‘good person with a gun to stop a bad person with a gun’ argument.
And how is that banning going so far?
Maybe after a couple hundred school shootings?
We aren’t going to see it in our lifetimes so going to stay strapped.
There really isnt anything equivalent in the mainstream left. i.e no equivalent to the right’s rhetoric about trans people and immigrants.
There are however a few things that would make me hesitate discussing like GMOs and nuclear power.
No, I’m not interested in debating random people online. If you can’t think of anything yourself you might be in a bubble and should expand your sources of information.
If you don’t want to debate, that’s fine, but it’s unreasonable to expect us to do your work for you.
Gigan is a Russian troll. Don’t ask me for anymore details, I’m not interested in debating random people online. If you can’t find my reasons for saying this yourself you might be in a bubble and should expand your sources of information.
While I agree with the heart of your sentiment, I feel that anybody center and to the right of center are by far the worst of the two evils.
Why?
Mostly through personal experiences. I live in a red county in a mostly red state. I once somehow pissed a vet off because he assumed I was conservative based solely on my appearance. In his words, I looked too cool to not be republican. That was probably the saddest, yet funniest, experience I’ve had.
I’ve lost decades-old friends because of their right-leaning ideologies. Never once had I put them down for their beliefs. But they were quick to call me an idiot or zombie or otherwise insult my intelligence because I dared think different than them. Suffice it to say, I am not friends with them anymore.
The friends that I do have are my friends because I steer clear of talking politics. Not that I haven’t tried. But somehow, even my so-called left-leaning friends seem to think differently than me. Maybe it’s me. I don’t know.
I like to think I’m fairly open-minded. There are things I won’t change my mind about, but I will listen to what other people have to say and I won’t insult them for it.
I don’t know. It’s ultimately how I feel as a whole. For the most part I know most people are good people, even if they’re misguided. But it’s that vocal minority that espouse nothing but vitriol and hate and revel in other people’s misery that I have a problem with. And those people are more often than not, center or right of center as far as I can tell.
How do you feel about conservatives?
I feel like I do not have a lot in common with them. Their ideals and mine do not align. Do I hate them? Not inherently, no. But I do very much disagree with their ideals and their methods. There are a few individuals I wouldn’t mind seeing leaving office sooner rather than later. But that’s a pipe dream.