Predicting online opinion sharing on controversial issues: The role of emotions and spiral of silence in the case of Roe v. Wade

Access to abortions is an essential component of maternal and reproductive care, making it a part of women’s health and human rights that was ensured by the Supreme Court of the U.S. in the landmark decision of Roe v. Wade in 1973. However, these rights were scrapped by the Supreme Court on Friday, June 24, 2022. This event was extensively covered by mass media and discussed on social media, potentially shaping public opinion and people’s participation in the discourse on abortion. This study draws from the theory of the spiral of silence to examine how individuals navigate discussions surrounding contentious issues such as abortion rights through an online survey (N = 217) conducted in November 2022. Regression results showed that assessment of public opinion and emotions are significantly associated with fear of social isolation and opinion sharing online. Furthermore, emotions have a moderating effect on the relationships of assessment of opinion climate with fear of social isolation and opinion sharing. This study found that the more positive the emotions resulting from Roe overturning, the more positive the relationship of assessment of public opinion with fear of social isolation and frequency of sharing opinions. Implications and future directions were discussed.