We humans are social animals, and ‘because everyone else does’ is not the only social reason we hold beliefs, or at least profess to hold them. Another is because we subconsciously think they will make us look good. And sometimes, in what social scientists call preference falsification, we claim to hold views that we are well aware we do not because we think others will despise us if we admit the truth. All this misrepresentation and second-guessing can create ‘pluralistic ignorance’ – a situation where people do not understand their fellow citizens’ true views, but think they do.
