Spiral of silence
People stay quiet when they sense their view is losing, silencing it further.
What it means
A theory of public opinion holding that individuals, fearing social isolation, are reluctant to voice opinions they believe are in the minority, which makes the perceived majority view seem ever more dominant and the minority view ever more muted. People constantly scan the social environment for which opinions are gaining or losing ground, and adjust their willingness to speak accordingly, producing a self-reinforcing spiral. Hardcore minorities and those less afraid of isolation can break it. It matters for understanding conformity in public discourse, the suppression of dissent, and how vocal minorities can appear to be majorities.
Examples
Holding a quietly unpopular political view at work, an employee keeps it to themselves, reinforcing the sense of consensus.
In a meeting where the first three speakers praise the new strategy, the doubters say nothing, and their silence becomes the evidence that everyone else is on board.
A neighbourhood group chat fills with support for a new development; residents against it hold back, so the council hears a consensus that never actually existed.
First described in Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann (1974).