Bandwagon Effect
Layla’s son invites her to see his upcoming class play. “All the other kids’ parents will be there,” he says. After hearing that other parents are planning to go, Layla decides to attend.
Layla’s instinct to consider other parents’ actions is an example of the bandwagon effect—the tendency to adopt a behavior because one believes that many others are doing the same.
Why it’s relevant to parent engagement:
While all humans are social creatures, wired to interact with and learn from others, parents are especially susceptible to social influence. Becoming a parent is one of life’s biggest transitions, bringing new, unfamiliar responsibilities and unexpected challenges. These changes are associated with higher levels of uncertainty and lower self-confidence, which can lead parents to rely on their peers when making parenting choices.
Although most parents grow more comfortable in their roles over time, raising older children (and/or multiple children) brings fresh questions and uncertainties. As a result, parents with children of all ages tend to pay close attention to peers, noting both their expressed opinions and their actual behaviors.
In turn, these perceived social norms shape parents’ actions. Thus, strategically pointing out relevant peers’ behaviors and perspectives to parents can enhance efforts to change behaviors or encourage new behaviors.
Evidence:
The bandwagon effect has been found to influence a wide variety of real-world behaviors, ranging from supporting political candidates
More recently, a bandwagon effect has been observed online. Individuals look to other internet users to determine which videos to watch
The bandwagon effect can be used to change behavior. For example, a California program convinced homeowners to conserve energy by informing them that most of their neighbors were doing so. A campaign that relied on social norms to encourage hotel guests to reuse their towels proved more effective than a standard notice focused on environmental benefits.
Parents’ attitudes and behaviors are subject to the bandwagon effect. In one case, parents with college-age children overestimated other parents’ approval of underage drinking. Their inaccurate perceptions of social norms strongly influenced their opinions toward their own children’s alcohol use.
Parents also look to others when considering positive behaviors. For example, parents and caregivers of young children are more likely to take their kids to the library if they believe that other parents of young children do so.
A promising recent study suggests that the bandwagon effect can be used as a tool to elicit desired behaviors in parents. Parents in two Australian schools were more likely to complete a summer reading challenge with their kids if they were told that that most parents in their school or community had done so.
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To encourage parents to attend workshops held by ParentCorps, a family-centered, school-based program that aims to bolster preschoolers' foundational learning skills, we sent out short videos with parent testimonials. Hearing that other families with preschool-aged children have found ParentCorps helpful can make parents more likely to participate.
Layla’s son invites her to see his upcoming class play. “All the other kids’ parents will be there,” he says. After hearing that other parents are planning to go, Layla decides to attend.
Layla’s instinct to consider other parents’ actions is an example of the bandwagon effect—the tendency to adopt a behavior because one believes that many others are doing the same.
Why it’s relevant to parent engagement:
While all humans are social creatures, wired to interact with and learn from others, parents are especially susceptible to social influence. Becoming a parent is one of life’s biggest transitions, bringing new, unfamiliar responsibilities and unexpected challenges. These changes are associated with higher levels of uncertainty and lower self-confidence, which can lead parents to rely on their peers when making parenting choices.
Although most parents grow more comfortable in their roles over time, raising older children (and/or multiple children) brings fresh questions and uncertainties. As a result, parents with children of all ages tend to pay close attention to peers, noting both their expressed opinions and their actual behaviors.
In turn, these perceived social norms shape parents’ actions. Thus, strategically pointing out relevant peers’ behaviors and perspectives to parents can enhance efforts to change behaviors or encourage new behaviors.
Evidence:
The bandwagon effect has been found to influence a wide variety of real-world behaviors, ranging from supporting political candidates
1
McAllister, I., & Studlar, D. T. (1991). Bandwagon, underdog, or projection? Opinion polls and electoral choice in Britain, 1979-1987. The Journal of Politics, 53(3), 720-741.
to forming opinions on controversial social issues.
2
Nadeau, R., Cloutier, E., & Guay, J. H. (1993). New evidence about the existence of a bandwagon effect in the opinion formation process. International Political Science Review, 14(2), 203-213.
More recently, a bandwagon effect has been observed online. Individuals look to other internet users to determine which videos to watch
3
Fu, W. W., & Sim, C. C. (2011). Aggregate bandwagon effect on online videos’ viewership: Value uncertainty, popularity cues, and heuristics. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(12), 2382-2395.
and are influenced by others’ ratings when reviewing products.
4
Lee, Y. J., Hosanagar, K., & Tan, Y. (2015). Do I follow my friends or the crowd? Information cascades in online movie ratings. Management Science, 61(9), 2241-2258.
The bandwagon effect can be used to change behavior. For example, a California program convinced homeowners to conserve energy by informing them that most of their neighbors were doing so. A campaign that relied on social norms to encourage hotel guests to reuse their towels proved more effective than a standard notice focused on environmental benefits.
5
Goldstein, N. J., Cialdini, R. B., & Griskevicius, V. (2008). A room with a viewpoint: Using social norms to motivate environmental conservation in hotels. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(3), 472-482.
Parents’ attitudes and behaviors are subject to the bandwagon effect. In one case, parents with college-age children overestimated other parents’ approval of underage drinking. Their inaccurate perceptions of social norms strongly influenced their opinions toward their own children’s alcohol use.
6
LaBrie, J. W., Hummer, J. F., Lac, A., Ehret, P. J., & Kenney, S. R. (2011). Parents know best, but are they accurate? Parental normative misperceptions and their relationship to students’ alcohol-related outcomes. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 72(4), 521-529.
Parents also look to others when considering positive behaviors. For example, parents and caregivers of young children are more likely to take their kids to the library if they believe that other parents of young children do so.
7
Schmidt, H., & Hamilton, K. (2017). Visiting public libraries with young children: An investigation of individual and community factors among caregivers in an area of socio-economic disadvantage. Early Years. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2017.1389855.
Similarly, mothers of infants are more likely to wait the recommended 6 months before giving their children solid foods if they believe that most other mothers do the same.
8
Hamilton, K., Daniels, L., White, K. M., Murray, N., & Walsh, A. (2011). Predicting mothers’ decisions to introduce complementary feeding at 6 months: An investigation using an extended theory of planned behaviour. Appetite, 56(3), 674-681.
A promising recent study suggests that the bandwagon effect can be used as a tool to elicit desired behaviors in parents. Parents in two Australian schools were more likely to complete a summer reading challenge with their kids if they were told that that most parents in their school or community had done so.
9
Colgate, O., & Ginns, P. (2016). The effects of social norms on parents’ reading behaviour at home with their child. Educational Psychology, 36(5), 1009-1023.
At
:
To encourage parents to attend workshops held by ParentCorps, a family-centered, school-based program that aims to bolster preschoolers' foundational learning skills, we sent out short videos with parent testimonials. Hearing that other families with preschool-aged children have found ParentCorps helpful can make parents more likely to participate.