Scientists have discovered that when just 10% of the population holds an unshakable belief, this belief will always be adopted by the majority of society. This phenomenon occurs across all cultures and societies. The team used computational and analytical methods to discover the tipping point where a minority belief becomes the majority opinion. The finding has implications for the spread and influence of ideas and norms, and for managing the change of societal norms and structures.
In their simulations, the scientists found that the percentage of committed opinion holders required to shift majority opinion does not change significantly even if they are spread throughout the population. Once the 10% threshold is crossed, the idea spreads like flame. An important aspect of the finding is that the percent of committed opinion holders required to influence a society remains at approximately 10%, regardless of how or where the opinion starts and spreads in the society.
This discovery has broad implications for understanding how opinion dynamics and societal change occur. It could be significant in the areas of political science and economics, and for understanding how ideas and norms spread in human societies, and for designing interventions to speed up the adoption of new ideas or technologies.
Go to source article: http://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-reveal-the-tipping-point-for-ideas-is-when-theres-a-10-consensus-2011-7?IR=T