Because individuals are less likely to conform when their responses are made privately, government elections utilize secret voting. This ensures that voters are not coerced by the public pressure of others' opinions.

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The setting in which a response is given—whether public or private—is a crucial factor affecting conformity. Individuals are more likely to conform when they must state their responses publicly in the presence of others. Conversely, the tendency to conform decreases significantly when responses can be made privately, for instance, by writing them down, as demonstrated in research by Deutsch and Gerard (1955).

Influence of Response Privacy on Conformity

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

A research team wants to accurately gauge individual opinions on a politically sensitive topic within a small group setting. They are concerned that some participants might simply agree with the first few speakers to avoid social friction. Based on principles of social influence, which procedure should the researchers use to reduce this pressure to conform and gather the most honest individual responses?

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