Why do we think our beliefs are different from the majority?

Pluralistic Ignorance,

explained.
Bias

What is Pluralistic Ignorance?

Pluralistic ignorance is when we believe that our private views are different from those of the majority. This often leads them to suppress their own beliefs and behaviors to conform to what they perceive as the societal norm.  

Where this bias occurs

Imagine attending a biology lecture at college. The professor presents a complex theory and then asks if everyone understands. You glance around, seeing all your peers nodding or remaining silent, giving the impression of comprehension. Although you don’t fully grasp the concept, you refrain from raising your hand, not wanting to be the only one who didn't get it. As the class proceeds, little do you realize that most of your silent peers are just as confused as you are. 

In this instance of pluralistic ignorance, many students falsely believe that they ‘re the only one struggling to understand, when in reality, several shared the same confusion. But since no one wanted to stand out from the perceived group comprehension, everyone conformed to the silent consensus. The mistaken assumption that others understood the material prevented students from seeking necessary clarifications to master the material and perform well on their upcoming exams.

Related Biases

Sources

  1. Jordan, A. H., Monin, B., Dweck, C. S., Lovett, B. J., John, O. P., & Gross, J. J. (2011). Misery has more company than people think: Underestimating the prevalence of others’ negative emotions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(1), 120–135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167210390822
  2. Prentice, D. A., & Miller, D. T. (1993). Pluralistic ignorance and alcohol use on campus: Some consequences of misperceiving the social norm. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(2), 243–256. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.2.243
  3. Halbesleben, J. R. B., Wheeler, A. R., & Buckley, M. R. (2007). Understanding pluralistic ignorance in organizations: application and theory. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(1), 65-83. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/02683940710721947/full/html 
  4. Coultas, J., van Leeuwen, E. (2015). Conformity: Definitions, Types, and Evolutionary Grounding. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Welling, L., Shackelford, T. (eds) Evolutionary Perspectives on Social Psychology. Evolutionary Psychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12697-5_15
  5. Noller, P. (1980). Misunderstandings in marital communication: A study of couples' nonverbal communication. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(6), 1135–1148. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0077716
  6. Jetten, J., Hornsey, M. J., Spears, R., Haslam, S. A., & Cowell, E. (2010). Rule transgressions in groups: The conditional nature of newcomers' willingness to confront deviance. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(2), 338-348. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.627
  7. O’Gorman, H. J. (1986). The discovery of pluralistic ignorance: An ironic lesson. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 22(4), 333-347. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6696(198610)22:4<333::AID-JHBS2300220405>3.0.CO;2-X
  8. Morse, N. C., & Allport, F. H. (1952). The causation of anti-Semitism: An investigation of seven hypotheses. The Journal of Psychology, 34(2), 197-233.  https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1952.9916118 
  9. Shamir, J., & Shamir, M. (1997). Pluralistic Ignorance Across Issues and Over Time: Information Cues and Biases. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 61(2), 227–260. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2749551
  10. Lambert, T. A., Kahn, A. S., & Apple, K. J. (2003). Pluralistic ignorance and hooking up. Journal of sex research, 40(2), 129–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224490309552174
  11. A&E Television Networks. (2021, May 21). Kitty Genovese. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/crime/kitty-genovese  
  12. Latane, B., & Darley, J. M. (1968). Group inhibition of bystander intervention in emergencies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 10(3), 215–221. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0026570
  13. Hampton, K.N., Rainie, L., Lu, W., Dwyer, M., Shin, I., & Purcell, K. (2014). “Social Media and the ‘Spiral of Silence.’ Pew Research Center, Washington, DC. http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/08/26/social-media-and-the-spiral-of-silence/

About the Authors

A man in a blue, striped shirt smiles while standing indoors, surrounded by green plants and modern office decor.

Dan Pilat

Dan is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. Dan has a background in organizational decision making, with a BComm in Decision & Information Systems from McGill University. He has worked on enterprise-level behavioral architecture at TD Securities and BMO Capital Markets, where he advised management on the implementation of systems processing billions of dollars per week. Driven by an appetite for the latest in technology, Dan created a course on business intelligence and lectured at McGill University, and has applied behavioral science to topics such as augmented and virtual reality.

A smiling man stands in an office, wearing a dark blazer and black shirt, with plants and glass-walled rooms in the background.

Dr. Sekoul Krastev

Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.

About us

We are the leading applied research & innovation consultancy

Our insights are leveraged by the most ambitious organizations

Image

“

I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.

Heather McKee

BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST

GLOBAL COFFEEHOUSE CHAIN PROJECT

OUR CLIENT SUCCESS

$0M

Annual Revenue Increase

By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue.

0%

Increase in Monthly Users

By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.

0%

Reduction In Design Time

By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75%.

0%

Reduction in Client Drop-Off

By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%

Let's chat

Read Next

See All
Notes illustration

Eager to learn about how behavioral science can help your organization?

Contact us