To test the spiral of silence model (which asserts that an individual's expression of his or her opinion is a function of his or her perception of majority opinion), a study examined opinions regarding Radio Marti--the Voice of America's special broadcast service to Cuba--in Dade County, Florida. A random sample of 407 respondents (42% Cuban, the remainder non-Cuban) was intereviewed by telephone representing a response rate of 81%. Findings provided only limited support for the spiral of silence model. As hypothesized, respondents who favored Radio Marti and perceived majority opinion to favor it also were more willing to express their opinions publicly about Radio Marti than other respondents. However, respondents who did not favor Radio Marti and perceived majority opinion not to favor it also were least willing to express their opinions publicly about Radio Marti. The second hypothesis (that Cuban-Americans, coming from a political culture that encourages public expression of political opinions, would be less susceptible to the spiral-of-silence effect) was thus rejected, since Cubans' willingness to express their opinions publicly about Radio Marti was not a function of their personal opinions. (Four tables of data are included, and 37 references are attached.) (SR)