Social Conformity in Japan - Part 1: Why it Matters in UX

Imagine this: you find a new band, and suddenly, you’re listening to them on repeat because your friends are into them too. Or you decide to pick up a book that’s all the buzz around town. These might seem like personal choices, but they’re often shaped by something deeper. A cultural force that quietly pushes us toward going along with the crowd, known by many names, here I’ll be referring to it as social conformity.

Social conformity is already a hot topic in Japan, but I want to take it further by exploring its connection to something called a response bias, and how it plays a role in UX research. In a country where social conformity often pulls the strings, understanding its influence can help both researchers and businesses gather more reliable data.

What is social conformity?

Social conformity refers to the tendency to adjust one’s behavior, attitudes, and decisions to align with group norms. While it is a global phenomenon, its manifestations can vary significantly across cultures. In the United States, social norms are reflected in behaviors such as holding doors open for others, shaking hands, making eye contact when meeting for the first time, or even smiling. In Japan, however, it is most significantly expressed through the concept of social harmony. This concept fosters a strong cultural preference for aligning with group expectations rather than standing out. I’ll be highlighting a few examples throughout this blog.

First, the phrase “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down” (出る針は打たれる), a well-known phrase in Japan, illustrates the concept of social conformity in Japan. Personally, when I hear this expression, I picture a small wooden board with a row of nails slightly sticking out, with one nail sticking out much higher than the rest, the longest nail bent after being struck by a hammer. Essentially, it symbolizes that those who do not conform will, in some way, suffer for it (though this is, of course, open to interpretation). The phrase reflects the cultural pressure to conform and the importance of avoiding actions or choices that could disrupt group harmony.

What does social conformity look like in Japan?

Social conformity in Japan is evident in many aspects of daily life and decision-making. One prominent behavior is the emphasis on group consensus. Japanese society often prioritizes agreement within the group over individual opinions, especially in meetings, where there’s an overarching premise that reaching a collective decision is seen as more important than voicing dissenting opinions.

Closely related to this, another notable behavior is the reluctance to criticize. Openly expressing dissatisfaction or criticism in Japan is typically viewed as disruptive or confrontational; as a result, individuals may withhold negative opinions, even when directly asked for feedback, in order to avoid causing discomfort or disrupting the peace.

This tendency to avoid conflict and express neutrality carries over into other situations, such as surveys or interviews. Japanese participants are more likely to opt for middle-ground answers rather than expressing strong opinions that could be seen as contentious or invite scrutiny.¹ After discussing this with one of our senior UX researchers at Mitsue-Links, they explained it using the 5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, and so on). They noted that the differences between 2, 3, and 4 are minimal, while the gap between 1 and 2 and 4 and 5 is much more pronounced.

This pattern also ties into another key aspect of social conformity: the tendency to agree with dominant voices in group settings. Even when personal opinions differ, individuals may still align with the majority view—again, as a reflection of the culture and values to preserve group harmony and avoid standing out. In UX research for example, if one participant expresses approval of a product in a focus group (qualitative research involving a small group of predefined participants), the other participants might follow suit, even if they truly feel differently.

In fact, the following study empirically demonstrates this concept: Social Conformity and Response Bias Revisited: The Influence of “Others” on Japanese Respondents.² The study shows how Japanese participants were seven times more likely to choose a socially unacceptable option if they could see that the majority of previous respondents had chosen it. The researchers approached the study from multiple perspectives, so I encourage those interested to give it a read!

What does social conformity mean for UX research in Japan?

UX research requires obtaining accurate and honest feedback from participants in order to truly understand users’ needs and improve a product. However, social conformity—not just in Japan—introduces several challenges that researchers need to carefully navigate. One such challenge is learning how to interpret the filtered responses participants may give. As previously discussed, rather than sharing their true thoughts or feelings, participants may provide answers they believe are more socially acceptable or aligned with expectations.

In one-on-one usability interviews, for instance, a participant might avoid pointing out any potential flaws in a product for fear of being perceived as overly critical. In group interviews, the pressure to conform is amplified and participants may adjust their responses to match a more dominant opinion, leading to skewed data that does not accurately reflect an individual’s true sentiments.

Another interesting cultural difference regarding social conformity is silence. In the US, silence is usually quickly filled with more conversation. In Japan, however, silence can carry significant meaning, whether to show agreement, avoid conflict, indicate hesitation, or, most often, express understanding. Researchers unfamiliar with this cultural nuance might misinterpret silence as a lack of opinion, potentially missing out on valuable insights.

As a last example, there is the politeness bias, where participants may provide overly positive feedback to avoid offending the clients listening in on the interviews or could extend to the researcher depending on the interview’s dynamic. This type of bias can lead to overly optimistic conclusions about a product, resulting in skewed data.

Recognizing nuances of social conformity

To fully understand the effects of social conformity, I think it’s important to recognize that these behaviors are not necessarily deceptive; rather, they reflect deeply ingrained values within Japanese culture, such as respect, harmony, and cooperation. For UX researchers, interpreting participant behavior requires paying close attention to subtle cues that may reveal underlying sentiments, especially in Japan. Here are a few that our team of researchers pays attention to most:

• Tone of Voice: Hesitations or sudden increases or decreases in volume may indicate uncertainty or reluctance to express a differing opinion.
• Body Language: Non-verbal signals, such as nodding or fidgeting, can convey agreement, discomfort, or indirect disagreement without the need for verbal expression.
• Type of Response: Some participants may repeat the question as their answer. For example, when asked about the products ease of use, participants might answer affirmatively but not voluntarily explain why they think so.

Key takeaways

• Social conformity is the tendency to change one’s behaviors, attitudes, and decisions to align with a group’s norms.
• In Japan, social conformity is reflected in an emphasis on group consensus, middle-point answers on Likert scale questions, and following-the-leader type response styles.
• Researchers should be aware of these cultural nuances to navigate interviews and conduct effective global research.
• Key social cues that can indicate underlying insights during testing include tone of voice, body language, and the manner in which a participant responds.

In part 2 of this blog series, we’ll take a closer look at a real-world example of how social conformity can impact research outcomes and explore strategies Japanese researchers use to handle response bias in order to gather more reliable insights.

Feel free to take a look at our other blogs about holidays in Japan!

• Coming-of-Age Day
• Christmas in Japan

References

¹Lee, Jerry, Patricia Jones, Yoshimitsu Mineyama, and Esther Zhang. ‘Cultural Differences in Responses to a Likert Scale’. Research in Nursing & Health 25 (08 2002): 295-306. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.10041.
²Kondo, Chisuzu, Chiaki Saito, Ayaka Deguchi, Miki Hirayama, and Adam Acar. ‘Social Conformity and Response Bias Revisited: The Influence of “Others” on Japanese Respondents’. Human Affairs 20 (12 2010). https://doi.org/10.2478/v10023-010-0036-6.-6.