Manipulating social norms proves a powerful way to reduce prejudice

Evidence

Allport argued that conformity is the primary source of prejudice. We agree. However, he may have underestimated the power of social consensus as a basis for prejudice; most of people’s prejudices are acquired from the local social norms and the culture in which people live. In addition, the manipulation of social consensus and social norms has been shown to be a powerful means by which to reduce prejudice. There is still much to learn about how to wield this normative power for reducing prejudice. — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1938

Categorization

• SEED: Angle for an essay: if prejudice is largely conformity, anti-bias interventions should target perceived norms (like the binge-drinking campaign) — ‘prejudice as a social norm, not an individual flaw.’
• ADDENDUM: Connects to the sacrifice/norms thread in ‘Complaints About Immodesty Go Way Back’ — moral norms as conformity pressure rather than individual conviction.
• XREF: connects to: Social norms exercise overwhelming force over even trained observers of behavior — Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 1507; Post-1964 social proscription of racism allows measurement of social-pressure effects on prejudice. — Deborah L. Hall and David C. Matz and Wendy Wood, Why Don’t We Practice What We Preach? A…, 11; Tolerating subcultures would expose mainstream norms as arbitrary — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 411