Bandwagon effect

Opinion reporting biases biases

The bandwagon effect is the tendency to do or believe something because many other people do or believe it. Popularity is treated as evidence of truth or correctness, so we align with the crowd without independently checking the facts or our own values. The bandwagon effect and appeal to common belief are the same phenomenon: one describes the tendency, the other the argument that treats popularity as evidence. Related: Appeal to common belief, Bandwagon.

Examples

  • You support a policy because "everyone's in favor of it," without checking whether the policy is actually good or whether "everyone" is accurate.

  • You buy a product because it is a bestseller, assuming that high sales mean high quality.

  • You adopt a catchphrase or opinion that is dominant in your social circle, so you fit in, without having thought it through.

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