When I was a kid, I remember airplanes having smoking and nonsmoking sections. Today, it seems outrageous that the person you’re sharing an armrest with would pull out a pack of cigarettes instead of a laptop. You can probably think of a few examples too — what’s changed in norms or practice since your childhood? We wear seatbelts. There’s less smog in Los Angeles. In the U.S., we get 20% of our energy from renewables. We don’t litter. (I mean, I hope you don’t litter. If you do, please stop.)
Each of these shifts shows majority-making in action. Majority-making is pushing forward strategies that expand support for the issues and causes you’re championing. We know, in fact, that people can change their minds, and their attitudes, behaviors and expectations follow suit. Majority-making takes time, so it is important to decide where you want to do majority-making and put efforts in place to start if you want to see results in a few years.
This week in a SpitfireU session, I walked through seven strategies that are ripe for trying if you want to majority-make on issues you care about. I explored strategies to get public opinion on your side, mainstream ideas, depolarize issues and use role models to gain momentum. You can watch the presentation recording here.
People who attended brought up some tough questions and great examples — things like: What about when legal changes happen but don’t reflect the majority’s view (like rulings against abortion rights, when we know most people in the country want health care to be between a doctor and patient)? Or what about issues that organizers thought were more in line with a majority view, like growing trans rights, and are now experiencing backlash?
Three strategies that relate to these questions are leveraging changes in public opinion, depolarizing issues and using role models. And for those experiencing a backlash, take heart from other issues that have weathered backlash and bounced back.
First, before engaging, you need to decide what pockets of the population are ready for majority-making. Consider who comprises the next few layers out from your choir. Where can you find common ground and even common purpose to use as a springboard to majority make?
Changing public opinion relates to the question of backlash. Sometimes, backlash can create opportunities. Backlash and headwinds can put issues on the radar for new audiences and build pressure to form an opinion one way or the other, creating vacuums for information and solutions your audiences may be looking for. For example, if policymakers push forward with stringent laws that restrict rights for people, there will likely be public debate, and people will have to consider where they stand. Attacks on rights offer an opportunity to strengthen public opinion on your side.
Related, these attacks also offer opportunities to depolarize issues and move away from the binary where people may initially look to follow their political leanings when considering an issue. Depolarizing means moving the issue out of this framework and into another one. To do this, connect the issue to a different identity, e.g., faith where loving one’s neighbor is important. You can also use role modeling to show people examples of others with similar identities, or from similar communities, who hold the public opinion and attitudes you are hoping to spread.
In the SpitfireU session, I shared inspiration from efforts to expand how we think about women in the workplace. This post walked through using “cultural entrepreneurs” to reinterpret how we thought about this.
Last, I dug a bit into how to make it easier for people to change their minds and explored the idea of exit ramps. In this Harvard Business Review piece, Deepak Malhotra offered seven ways to give people space and conditions to rethink their positions. Three stood out: Help them save face by creating a safe space for them to change course; give them cover or a reason as to why they changed their mind; and make changing their mind a punishment-free zone, which means no charges of being a flip-flopper or cries of “I told you so.” And let’s be honest, the last one might be the hardest.
What issues are you looking to build majorities around and mainstream? Reach out to us if you want to dream together.
