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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of the false consensus effect (FCE), a bias causing individuals to overestimate their own position, as it relates to interscholastic athletics. One-hundred-seventy-seven high school coaches, athletic directors, and principals estimated the percentage of their peer groups who endorsed selected interscholastic issues such as drug testing, eligibility standards, and televising high school athletics. Results of the study showed that respondents perceived their own opinions as relatively common in the context of high school athletics, indicating the prevalence of the FCE in this study. It was also found that those who formed a majority opinion group for each issue underestimated their position or proportion in the population while subjects who belonged to a minority opinion group overestimated their position. Strategies such as further education to avoid such false estimates of others' positions on certain issues are also discussed.