Homophily and minority size explain perception biases in social networks

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that perception biases about minority group sizes in social networks can arise solely from network structural properties like homophily and minority size, without cognitive biases.

Contribution

The study introduces a generative network model linking perception biases to structural features, validated with empirical data and real-world networks.

Findings

Biases depend on homophily levels and minority size

Model predictions align with empirical and real-world data

Individuals can reduce biases by perceiving neighbors' opinions

Abstract

People's perceptions about the size of minority groups in social networks can be biased, often showing systematic over- or underestimation. These social perception biases are often attributed to biased cognitive or motivational processes. Here we show that both over- and underestimation of the size of a minority group can emerge solely from structural properties of social networks. Using a generative network model, we show analytically that these biases depend on the level of homophily and its asymmetric nature, as well as on the size of the minority group. Our model predictions correspond well with empirical data from a cross-cultural survey and with numerical calculations on six real-world networks. We also show under what circumstances individuals can reduce their biases by relying on perceptions of their neighbors. This work advances our understanding of the impact of network structure on social perception biases and offers a quantitative approach for addressing related issues in society.