Status Quo Bias
bias
Summary: Prefer keeping things the same.
Potential disruption or regret makes people stick with current arrangements even when change could help.
Pattern prevalence
- Authors: top 0.1%, bottom 0.1%, overall 0.9%
- Publications: top 1.4%, bottom 1.4%, overall 0.7%
- Articles: top 16.1%, bottom 1.6%, overall 8.8%
Recent example
Uh and our at the same time, our position hasn't changed on Taiwan.
Explicitly asserts unchanged position to reinforce policy continuity.
Recent articles
Hegseth says U.S. “position hasn’t changed on Taiwan” #shorts 0%
CBS News - 5/31/2026, 3:29 AM
Ambiguity (Equivocation) 37.5% - Overconfidence Bias 35.9% - Optimism Bias 29.4%
Last year you said a Chinese attack on Taiwan was quote imminent and with that has the US decided to cause that latest weapon shipment to Taiwan. >> Uh I think our our message today was very much in sync with precisely where the president wants to go which is we're going to be strong. Uh but we can speak softly while carrying that big... more
2026 summer will be worst yet for teen employment in decades, WSJ predicts 0%
CBS News - 5/30/2026, 12:59 AM
Hasty Generalization 34.9% - Negativity Bias 23.8% - Anecdotal 23.3%
You probably remember the good old days when you flipped burgers, bagged groceries, or scooped ice cream. Simpler times. Well, now getting a summer job just isn't what it used to be. The Wall Street Journal reports that this summer is expected to be the worst for teen jobs since 1948 when the federal government started tracking the data.... more
UAE Official: US-Iran Deal Has '50-50' Chance 51.5%
Newsmax - By Maha El Dahan, Jana Choukeir - 5/22/2026, 10:37 AM
Negativity Bias 36.3% - Confirmation Bias 25.6% - Status Quo Bias 25.3%
There is a "50-50 chance" of a U.S.-Iran peace agreement, the United Arab Emirates' presidential advisor said on Friday, but stressed that any political settlement must address the root causes of instability in the region to avoid future conflict. Pakistan has been mediating a U.S.-Iran ceasefire to end the war that has shaken the global... more
Iraqi national CHARGED with coordinating at least 20 terror attacks worldwide 0%
Fox News - 5/19/2026, 2:59 PM
Meanwhile, FBI Director Cash Patel touting his takedown of an Iraqi national accused of carrying out and plotting nearly 20 terror attacks across Europe and Canada, including plans to blow up a Manhattan synagogue. The arrest underscoring concerns about how Iranbacked terror networks could threaten Americans here at home as it reignites... more
How transgender athletes are arguing against state bans before the Supreme Court 68.2%
NBC News - 5/16/2026, 4:00 PM
So, I just heard a litany of different ways in which your case, I think, is arguably easier than the case uh for the advocates that are currently arguing in front of the Supreme Court. But there's also another wrinkle, David, and it's the state bands themselves because the bands don't say trans kids can't play with the girls. They don't... more
Rubio: U.S. Taiwan policies ‘unchanged’ after Trump-Xi meeting 92.4%
NBC News - 5/14/2026, 12:38 PM
Status Quo Bias 77.7% - In-Group Bias 42.3% - Optimism Bias 34.3%
President Xi stressed to President Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China US relations. Talk to me about that moment when that >> Well, they certainly feel that way and and they always raise that issue and we understand they raise that issue. From our perspective, any forced change in the status quo and the... more
Senate confirms Kevin Warsh as Fed chair as Trump's economic vision comes into focus 26%
Fox News - By Amanda Macias - 5/13/2026, 6:48 PM
Framing Effect 32.8% - Negativity Bias 20.3% - Confirmation Bias 7.7%
The Senate cleared Kevin Warsh on Wednesday to lead the Federal Reserve, ushering in a new era at the central bank under President Donald Trump's nominee. The Senate confirmed Warsh, 54–45, concluding a monthslong search that began last summer for a successor to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as his term neared its end. The vote was... more
'It's the rainforest of the sea': These 1960s photos reveal Jamaica's lost underwater paradise 21.6%
BBC - By Cagney Roberts - 5/9/2026, 9:00 AM
Biased Writer Voice 19.3% - Indoctrination 13.7% - Availability Heuristic 12.6%
A trove of snapshots from a 1960s diving expedition reveals stunning glimpses of Jamaica's vibrant ecosystems of the past. This is transforming our vision of what coral reefs can be. In 1966, marine scientist Eileen Graham dived into the waters along the northern coast of Jamaica to study the lush, vibrant coral reefs. Over the course of... more
European countries emerge as NATO leaders as U.S. role recedes 22.7%
NPR - By Scott Neuman - 5/8/2026, 9:00 AM
Negativity Bias 21.1% - Biased Writer Voice 17.5% - Appeal to Authority 13.6%
As President Trump seeks to wind down the war in Iran, the United States is facing not only economic fallout such as higher gas prices but also mounting geopolitical costs. Fresh disputes between Washington and NATO over the Middle East conflict are pushing European leaders to seriously consider a future in which the U.S. no longer leads... more
Washington tribe seeks control of Dungeness Spit refuge 37%
KUOW Public Radio - By John Ryan - 5/7/2026, 11:45 PM
Appeal to Authority 20.2% - Negativity Bias 14.2% - Appeal to Emotion 11.9%
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe wants to take control of two wildlife refuges on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula back from the federal government. The tribe is pushing for federal legislation to take over the Dungeness and Protection Island national wildlife refuges. The Dungeness refuge encompasses the five-mile-long Dungeness Spit,... more