Visibility Influence on Beliefs

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The visibility of certain behaviors or beliefs can lead to overestimation of their prevalence, contributing to pluralistic ignorance. Examples like alcohol consumption on college campuses, opposition to racial integration in the 50s and 60s, and opposition to the Vietnam War show how visible groups can skew perceptions. Minorities aiming to influence public opinion may deliberately seek visibility to create pluralistic ignorance and gain a foothold in mainstream beliefs.

There are several ways to define pluralistic ignorance, and that’s because it’s kind of a brain twister when you try to put it into words. On certain issues, most people people believe that most people believe what, in truth, few people believe. Or put another way, it is the erroneous belief that the majority is acting in a way that matches its internal philosophies, and that you are one of a small number of people who feel differently, when in reality the majority agrees with you on the inside but is afraid to admit it outright or imply such through its behavior. Everyone in a group, at the same time, gets stuck following a norm that no one wants to follow, because everyone is carrying a shared, false belief about everyone else’s unshared true beliefs.

Deborah Prentice’s Website

Robb Willer’s Website

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How Minds Change

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