Communicating with the silent middle

The 'quiet middle' is a group in society that does not take sides on polarized issues, for example because they have a nuanced opinion or no opinion at all (Bart Brandsma, 2016). The background characteristics, attitudes, and behaviours of people in the quiet middle are diverse. By taking this group into account in communication, it can help prevent further polarisation in the societal debate on polarized issues. The State Inspection of Digital Infrastructure asked Pon & Telos and Dialogic to investigate how they could best adjust their communication to this. Four recommendations emerged from the research:

1. Diversify communication. Tailor your message to the different groups within the quiet middle. Use multiple different perspectives (frames).
2. Anticipate societal trends. A societal trend analysis can help identify changes, issues, and sentiments in the short and medium term.
3. Nuance communication. Communicate about positive, negative, and unknown aspects of a new technology. Use clear examples and messages, especially for complex topics. Make the developments traceable - how did we get here?
4. Ensure a reliable source of information. In addition to investing in their own position as an expert on the subject, collaborating with independent experts as the message sender can be beneficial.

Method for assessing the risk of polarisation

The research developed a method to assess whether a technological development could potentially be polarising. This allows policymakers and communication professionals to identify such topics at an early stage and adjust their communication strategy as needed. The insights from the research are not only useful for RDI but may also be applicable to other (government) organisations.