Stereotyping, Social Norms, and Public Opinion

This chapter focuses on how social forces affect public opinion formation and expression. Dozens of social influences impact the public opinion process: culture, political affiliation, and socialization, for a start. The affiliations often have important consequences for public opinion. Even if people were oblivious to group identity, social dynamics would still pervade our opinions. The effects of stereotyping on public opinion have been understudied by scholars, but discussion should give you some idea of the major impact this human tendency may have on public opinion outcomes. Stereotypes are a "cognitive consolidation" of how the world works. The concept of social identity helps people understand stereotypes. Social norms can exist not only for behaviors but also for attitudes, opinions, and tendencies toward certain behaviors. Robert B. Cialdini, Carl A. Kallgren, and Raymond R. Reno distinguish two types of social norms: descriptive norms and injunctive norms. Many scholars conclude that social norms can play an important part in opinion formation and expression.