Inhibition of political expression in the workplace : an experience sampling study

Abstract

In light of the escalating political tension and polarisation in Hong Kong in recent years, there is an increasing concern over whether or not one would express his or her views on political issues publicly. The primary aim of the present study is to fill in the research gap by examining the influence of unsupportive opinion climate, perceived opinion incongruence with the target of communication, adherence to professional ethics and adherence to personal morals on people’s tendency to inhibit the expression of political opinions in work settings. The secondary aim is to examine the influence of inhibition of expression on subjective well-being. Data collection comprised of two questionnaires at a 14-day interval, between which experience sampling was conducted. A total of 514 measurement points (12.9%) nested within 132 participants (79%) were analysed. Results of multimodal regression analyses supported the hypotheses that unsupportive opinion climate and perceived opinion incongruence predicted more frequent (B=-.609, SE=.13, z=-4.688, p<.001) and more intensive (B=-.206, SE=.05, t=-4.13, p<.001) inhibition of political opinion expression. However, adherence to professional ethics and adherence to personal morals did not significantly predict inhibition of expression. In addition, results of OLS regression analysis indicated insignificant prediction of subjective well-being by inhibition of expression. In sum, the current study sheds light on the motivations and consequences of inhibition of political opinion expression. Implications for future research are discussed.