Why do we support opinions as they become more popular?

The 

Bandwagon Effect

, explained.
Bias

What is the Bandwagon Effect?

The bandwagon effect refers to our habit of adopting certain behaviors or beliefs because many other people do the same. This psychological phenomenon explains why popular ideas, products, or social movements often gain rapid momentum—people tend to "jump on the bandwagon" to fit in, avoid missing out, or feel part of a group.

An illustration of a colorful sneaker labeled "TDL" with the text "Bandwagon Effect" above it and "Just Do It... Everyone Else Did!" written beside the shoe.

Where the bias occurs

Consider the following hypothetical: John is an avid fan of his local basketball team called “the Sharks.” His favorite team has always played well, and he loves attending their games with his friends every weekend.

One day, the league officials announced the formation of a new basketball team in the neighboring town named the “Fighters.” This underdog team soon rises to the top of the leaderboard, winning nearly all of their games that season. Their popularity skyrockets. Soon, people from John’s town are wearing Fighters’ jerseys and cheering them on at local bars. “Fighter mania,” as it’s soon dubbed, spreads all across the region.

Meanwhile, the Sharks are not doing so well. John’s friends, who were also fans, slowly start switching allegiances to the more dominant and popular Fighters. Suddenly, John decides that he too supports the Fighters. After all, they have a shot at winning this year’s championship.

The next day, John cheers on the Fighters at his local bar—indistinguishable from the mass of other fans that form Fighter mania.

The snowballing popularity of the Fighters, and John’s subsequent decision to support them, is an example of the bandwagon effect. Yes, the Fighters are a good team, but the reason John began supporting them is because so many around him had already switched allegiances.

Sources

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  3. Cherry, K. (2020, April 28). The Bandwagon Effect Is Why People Fall for Trends. Retrieved July 05, 2020, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-bandwagon-effect-2795895
  4. Cherry, K. (2020, April 28). The Bandwagon Effect Is Why People Fall for Trends. Retrieved July 05, 2020, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-bandwagon-effect-2795895
  5. The Bandwagon Effect: Why People Tend to Follow the Crowd. (n.d.). Retrieved July 05, 2020, from https://effectiviology.com/bandwagon/ 
  6. Sullivan, L. (Ed.). (n.d.). SAGE Reference - The SAGE Glossary of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Retrieved July 05, 2020, from https://sk.sagepub.com/reference/behavioralsciences/n201.xml 
  7. Bandwagon Effect. (n.d.). Retrieved July 05, 2020, from https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756841/obo-9780199756841-0113.xml 
  8. Vitelli, R. (2015, December 30). Riding the Bandwagon Effect. Retrieved July 05, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/media-spotlight/201512/riding-the-bandwagon-effect
  9. Rikkers, L. (2002). The Bandwagon Effect. Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, 6(6), 787-794. doi:10.1016/s1091-255x(02)00054-9
  10. Kenton, W. (2022, April 3). What is an economic bubble and how does it work, with examples. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bubble.asp#:~:text=An%20economic%20bubble%20occurs%20any,change%20in%20behavior%20is%20debated. 
  11. Camero, K. (2023, June 21). How the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge made a lasting impact. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/als-ice-bucket-challenge-research-impact#:~:text=In%20the%20summer%20of%202014,media%20movement%20in%20medical%20history. 
  12. Chokshi, N. (2018, January 20). Yes, people really are eating tide pods. No, it’s not safe. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/20/us/tide-pod-challenge.html
  13. Farjam, M., & Loxbo, K. (2023). Social conformity or attitude persistence? The bandwagon effect and the spiral of silence in a polarized context. Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 34(3), 531–551. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457289.2023.2189730 
  14. Cho, E., Kim-Vick, J., & Yu, U. J. (2021). Unveiling motivation for luxury fashion purchase among Gen Z consumers: need for uniqueness versus bandwagon effect. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 15(1), 24–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/17543266.2021.1973580 
  15. Lee, W.-j. and Cha, M.-K. (2024), "Why do consumers buy NFTs?: Multi-path of attitude and the bandwagon effect", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 36(6), 1374-1392. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-01-2023-0006 
  16. Center for Creative Leadership. (2024, April 10). How leaders can build psychological safety at work. https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/what-is-psychological-safety-at-work/ 
  17. Nikolaou, I. (2024, September 25). Ads with fallacies & how they could affect your revenue. Snigel. https://snigel.com/blog/ads-with-fallacies 
  18. Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. (2016, May 23). The Bandwagon Bias – The Dangers of Groupthink. Interaction Design Foundation - IxDF. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/the-bandwagon-bias-the-dangers-of-groupthink 
  19. Asch, S. E. (1951). Effects of group pressure upon the modification and distortion of judgments. In H. Guetzkow (Ed.), Groups, leadership and men; research in human relations (pp. 177–190). Carnegie Press.
  20. Dahlgaard, J. O., Hansen, J. H., Hansen, K. M., & Larsen, M. V. (2017). How election polls shape voting behaviour. Scandinavian Political Studies, 40(3), 330-343. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9477.12094 
  21. Fu, W. W., Teo, J., & Seng, S. (2012). The bandwagon effect on participation in and use of a social networking site. First Monday, 17(5). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v17i5.3971 
  22. Browett, M. (2025, Jan 27). Hopping on Trends: Hurting or Helping Brands? Snaptech Marketing. https://www.snaptech.com/blog/branding/hopping-on-trends-hurting-or-helping-brands/

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