Social norm strength and norm change

Abstract

Social norms vary both in terms of their content (e.g. don't talk to strangers, help the needy) and their strength. While most research focuses on the former, increasing evidence points to the relevance of the latter for norm change. Despite this potential, existing knowledge about norm strength is siloed into “macro” and “micro” perspectives, with the former studying aggregations of norms and the latter focusing on particular, individual, social rules. We argue that both approaches provide valuable insights into social norm strength. Using this reorientation, we integrate existing research strands and discuss foundational questions about the causes of social norm strength and its consequences for norm change, highlighting limitations and potential future directions.