FEAR, MEDIA AND SELF-CONFIDENCE: CHINESE STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO EXPRESS OPINION A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication, Culture and Technology By Wei Zou, B.A. Washington, D.C. April 21, 2021 Copyright 2021by Wei Zou All Rights Reserved ii FEAR, MEDIA AND SELF-CONFIDENCE: CHINESE STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO EXPRESS OPINION Wei Zou, B.A. Thesis Advisor: Diana Owen, Ph.D. ABSTRACT COVID -19’s early spread in the United States raised many opposing perspectives on wearing a face mask in public, and hate crime towards the Asian community. This study is dedicated to understanding the Chinese students’ willingness to express their opinion about whether people should wear face masks in public before the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended doing so. We draw three factors: “fear of isolation”, “influence of media” and “lack of self-confidence” based on two communication theories “Spiral of Silence Theory” and “Magic Bullet Theory”. We intend to examine the three factors’ influence on Chinese students’ willingness of opinion expression. We employed a survey research method (n=66) and contingency table analysis. We were able to discover trends and patterns that corresponded with the assumptions of Noelle-Neumann, and also the results supported our hypothesis that Chinese students with low- level fear of isolation tend to be more likely to share their opinion on mask wearing in public. Moreover, we surprisingly discovered that opinion efficacy is a significant predictor to predict Chinese students’ willingness to share their opinion through digital platforms. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many people I would like to appreciate throughout the process of completing this thesis. Dr. Owen, my thesis advisor and a mentor for introducing me to the fantastic realm of statistics. I could come to Dr. Owen for advice about my career and academics. Dr. Owen always maintains professionalism, demonstrates kindness, and exemplifies patience during this pandemic school year. Dr. Turner is one of my favorite professors at Georgetown. Dr. Turner’s classes were significant to me during my time at CCT. I learned many communication models and theories and have applied them in this thesis. Dr. Turner has no hesitation whenever I seek guidance and clarifications. I also want to appreciate my parents for their spiritual and financial support. I always gave them a call whenever I felt stressed from my coursework or my thesis writing. My parents are the most powerful and influential figures in my life, and they taught me how to be persistent and independent. My friends, who all played important role in entertaining, caring, and listening to me talking about those trivial matters of my life. Lastly, I am blessed to be part of the CCT community. My CCT fellows voluntarily helped me complete my thesis surveys and also distribute the surveys to their network. Without their help, I would not be able to acquire enough data and finish my thesis. Many thanks, Wei Zou iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Overview ................................................................................................................. 4 Chapter 2. Literature Review .............................................................................................. 5 The Development of Public Opinion ...................................................................... 5 Spiral of Silence Theory ......................................................................................... 8 Magic Bullet Theory ............................................................................................. 10 Two-Step Flow of Communication ...................................................................... 13 The Use of Face Masks ......................................................................................... 15 Chapter 3. Methods ........................................................................................................... 18 Research Design .................................................................................................... 18 Sample Characteristics .......................................................................................... 19 Measurement ......................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 4. Findings and Analysis ..................................................................................... 23 Frequencies of Dependent and Independent Variables ......................................... 23 Influence of Media ................................................................................................ 25 Lack of Self-Confidence ....................................................................................... 26 Fear of Isolation .................................................................................................... 28 Results ................................................................................................................... 31 Chapter 5. Discussion and Conclusion ............................................................................. 36 Limitations and Directions for Future Research ................................................... 40 Appendix: Survey Questionnaire ...................................................................................... 42 References ......................................................................................................................... 47 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 Age. ................................................................................................................. 20 Figure 3.2 Education Level ............................................................................................... 20 Figure 4.1 Respondents’ frequency of sharing opinion through digital ........................... 24 platforms about whether people should wear face masks in public Figure 4.2 How often did you follow the news and information ...................................... 25 about whether people should wear face masks in public Figure 4.3 How much do you agree or disagree that media coverage. ............................. 26 represents your stand Figure 4.4 How much did the media coverage shape your opinion .................................. 26 about whether you should wear a face mask in public Figure 4.5 How much confidence you think you possess in your own thinking. ............. 27 Figure 4.6 How confidence did you feel about your knowledge of .................................. 27 whether people should wear face masks in public Figure 4.7 How much do you think that your opinion about ............................................ 28 whether people should wear face masks in public matters Figure 4.8 How much do you agree or disagree with the statement when it comes to ..... 29 sharing opinion – I share my own thoughts without hesitation Figure 4.9 How much do you agree or disagree with the statement when it comes to ..... 29 sharing opinion – I will think of my potential consequences before I speak up Figure 4.10 How much do you agree or disagree with the statement when it comes to ... 30 sharing opinion – I do not express any opinion for avoiding conflicts with others Figure 4.11 How much do you want to avoid any conflicts with others .......................... 30 when you share opinion online vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION COVID -19’s early spread in the United States raised many opposing perspectives on wearing a face mask in public. People held different stands on this topic as well as the hate crimes towards Chinese residents and Chinese Americans that occurred during the pandemic. This paper will investigate how Chinese students’1 willingness to express their opinion on digital platforms about whether they should wear face masks in public were affected by the “fear of isolation,” “influence of media” and “lack of self-confidence” before the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and media coverage first recommended wearing a face mask in public. Letting our voices be heard is a pivotal part of life and is central to building public opinion. Individuals hold their own opinions and take their stands via a variety of platforms that are available nowadays, such as the internet and mobile applications. The public responds to an event by leaving their comments online; people share their thoughts with one another in conversation; and members contribute their ideas through teamwork. However, there are times when one chooses to silence one ’s voice and keep the opinion inside. One does not want to reveal any personal thinking on the internet to avoid potential cyber violence. One prefers to withhold his/her opinion when in a group to skip any potential disagreement with others’ wishes or views. Or one listens to the views expressed on mass media and gives up one’s own opinion. Knowing what makes individuals withhold their opinions is consequential for our understanding of public opinion and potentially beneficial to political decision-making and communication in various contexts. 1 The group of Chinese students involved in this study are all international Chinese students studying in the U.S. Chinese Americans and other Asian Americans were not part of this study. 1 This study was dedicated