Most Americans are hesitant to share their honest opinions on key political issues, study finds

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FILE-Voters fill out their ballots at a polling location at Bedford High School on January 23, 2024 in Bedford, New Hampshire. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

This year’s election features an array of critical issues for voters, from immigration to the economy. While Americans are thinking about these topics heading into November, most are reluctant to give an honest view on these topics based on a recent study.

Approximately 61% of Americans admitted to self-silencing their true beliefs, while 58% believe most people cannot share their honest opinions about sensitive topics even if they believe they are correct, according to Populace, a Massachusetts-based think tank, which shared details in its Social Pressure Index.

The study also found that college graduates and political independents are the least comfortable sharing their private views in public. Among demographic groups, college graduates and political independents self-silence the most often, with sizable gaps between public and private opinion on 37 of 64 issues.

Meanwhile, respondents privately agree on roughly two-thirds of the sensitive issues studied (43 of 64) in the poll, ranging from abortion rights and school choice to legal immigration and voter ID requirements. The study also noted that the majority of men and women are on the same side of 57 of the 64 sensitive issues.

Separately, a majority of Gen Z Americans are on the same side as the public on 57 out of the 64 sensitive issues in this study (differing only in the magnitude of their support or opposition to a given issue). The issues where they disagree with the public are climate change and immigration.

Additionally, respondents said they have a private distrust of U.S. institutions. Public opinion results in the report imply a low public confidence in the Supreme Court (36%) and a general distrust of the government (22%) and media (24%). Private opinion finds that trust is even lower than public opinion results would suggest (21% confidence in the Supreme Court, 4% trust in government, and 7% trust in media).

Populace’s report focuses on understanding individuals' private views and values instead of what they will say publicly.

To collect data, researchers conducted a survey from May 16, 2024, to June 24, 2024. The team then conducted a list experiment (also known as the item count technique), a survey technique created to maximize respondents’ privacy.

The study noted that instead of asking respondents their opinion on a series of sensitive topics, list experiments hide people’s answers as part of the methodological design by collecting responses to sensitive items with other items, lowering the biases introduced by social desirability and nonresponse.

Populace’s CEO Todd Rose told Fox News Digital that the Social Pressure Index was the largest private opinion study ever conducted, and it acknowledges societal pressures to have the "right" opinion and also where that pressure affects what people are willing to say out loud.

Rose explains to FOX News Digital that the study covered 64 of the most controversial issues in American society and included a massive sample of over 19,000 respondents and upwards of two dozen demographic groups. To see the full Social Pressure Index click here.