Pluralistic Ignorance

What is it?

Pluralistic ignorance happens when the majority of people in a group privately disagree with a belief, norm, or decision but go along with it anyway because they incorrectly assume everyone else accepts it.

 In other words, silence is mistaken for agreement.

What do we know from research?

Studies show pluralistic ignorance can cause people to act against their own beliefs or better judgment. It has been linked to issues such as racism, climate inaction, reluctance to seek mental health support, and silence around misconduct.

Studies demonstrate that once people learn their peers actually share their private doubts or beliefs, they are more willing to speak up and act differently.

How does it look in practice?

Pluralistic ignorance is a quite widespread phenomenon even at societal level. Take the example stemming from a study in Saudi Arabia where women historically needed their husband’s permission to work outside the home. A research paper published in 2020 revealed that most young married men privately supported their wives working, but each believed other men disapproved. As a result, women remained in more traditional roles—not because of genuine opposition but due to a false belief about prevailing social norms. When men were later informed that such support was widespread, they became more proactive in helping their wives find work.

Pluralistic ignorance can also be found at work. An example could be: Tom’s manager delivers a presentation that, In Tom's view, lacks clarity. At the end, the manager asks if everything is clear. Tom scans the room, but no hands go up. He interprets this as a sign that everyone else understood the presentation, so he remains silent.

Unbeknownst to Tom, most of the people in the room also found the presentation unclear but approached the situation like Tom. As a result, the group collectively assumes the presentation was clear, when in fact it was not.

How can you use/avoid it at work?

Leaders: Focus on creating psychological safety in your environment, by making it safe to disagree or ask questions. Normalize questions with phrases like “If you’re wondering/not clear about this, chances are others are too”.

Teams: Use tools that lower social pressure (anonymous polls, digital Q&A, one-on-one check-ins) to surface real opinions.

Individuals: Don’t assume silence means agreement. If you’re unclear, chances are others are too. Speaking up helps the whole group.