Users’ interest in having unique experiences is relevant when design options are presented; research by Chopik and associates indicates that need for uniqueness may be declining. The researchers found that “Recent research and polling suggest that people may be more reluctant to express themselves and stand out than in previous years. . . . We examined changes in need for uniqueness among 1,339,160 Internet respondents . . . from 2000 and 2020. Across the 20-year period, participants who completed the survey more recently reported a lower need for uniqueness, particularly in terms of not wanting to defend their beliefs in public forums and caring more about what others think about them.”
William Chopik, Kim Gotschi, Alejandro Carrillo, Rebekka Weidmann, and Jeff Potter. 2024. “Changes in Need for Uniqueness from 2000 to 2020.” Collabra: Psychology, vol. 10, no. 1, 121937, https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.121937