Published behavior reveals opinion resonance more than private polling does
Evidence
Polls seek private opinions, but letters to the editor provide purchase on opinions in the public sphere. Letters to the editor are for public consumption. Deciding to write a letter and deciding to publish it indicate that the ideas expressed in the letter are worth writing about and worth sharing widely. Hence, letters to the editor are an unbeatable source for measuring the resonance of conspiracy theories over a long period of time. — Joseph E. Uscinski and Joseph M. Parent, American Conspiracy Theories, 278
Categorization
- XREF: The private-poll-versus-public-sphere distinction echoes a theme in small acts of decorum: that visible public ritual and expression carry weight that private state does not. — connects to: Readers’ letters reveal public opinion forming outside conscious awareness; Subjective audio opinions can behave like facts when gathered under controlled conditions