lth (e.g.

, getting vaccinated), the faster they become taken-for-granted ways to

behave, and the faster we bring the pandemic under control.

Here’s how company vaccine mandates can play a forceful norm-setting role in this
social process.

The social problem we face is what social scientists call social mobilization.
Social mobilization involves getting large numbers of people to perform a behavior
that is only beneficial when done by the vast majority of people. Recycling is a
quintessential example. If just one person recycles, their efforts are negligible.
But if millions of people recycle, there are tremendous environmental benefits. The
same logic holds for vaccination — the real benefit occurs only when the
overwhelming majority of the population is vaccinated. To address a range of social
problems, the task is to get a significant number of people to engage in certain
behaviors.

Research shows that social norms play a critical role in social mobilization. This
is because social norms contain “normative information” about what people are or
ought to be doing. When people see certain behaviors (e.g., getting vaccinated) as
commonplace, they then believe there is widespread agreement that the behavior is
the good or right thing to do and are more likely to act in accordance with the
social norm.

And here’s where mandates come in.

Mandates and laws not only have