Pluralistic ignorance

What is pluralistic ignorance?

Pluralistic ignorance occurs when people misperceive others’ private attitudes, often believing that a group accepts something they themselves dislike. Public conformity can conceal those private disagreements. It does not require literally every group member to hold the same mistaken belief.

For a dictionary reference, see the APA Dictionary entry on pluralistic ignorance.

Evidence from campus drinking attitudes

Prentice and Miller (1993) found that students believed they were more uncomfortable with campus drinking practices than their peers. In one study, male students’ attitudes moved toward the perceived norm over a semester; female students did not show that change.

Pluralistic ignorance in a workplace

Imagine colleagues who each dislike a policy but stay silent because each thinks everyone else supports it. That illustrates pluralistic ignorance. Silence alone, though, could also reflect fear, indifference, or actual agreement. Measure private views and perceived group views before inferring pluralistic ignorance.

Availability cascades describe a different process involving repeated public claims and apparent credibility.