What is bias and how can it influence your decisions?

Bias is having an unfair view of a person or a group, either by being skewed positively or negatively toward it.

It can come in many different forms and we may not even realise we are being biased at times. Here are a few different kinds to watch out for - although there are more.

What are the different types of bias?

• Confirmation bias

One type of bias that affects our view of the stories and news we come across is confirmation bias. This is when we favour ideas or beliefs that we already have rather than challenging them.

For example, you’re more likely to agree with something that presents your favourite football team or singer in a positive light. This could mean you overlook or dismiss other teams or artists. In a more extreme case, it may mean that you disregard proven controversies or concerns about them, that paint a less favourable picture.

You can find out about the different types of confirmation bias here – watch the video and read the article to learn more.

• Unconscious bias

This is much more subtle. It’s a theory that refers to the judgements and opinions we might form about someone or something without being aware. Our perspective can be influenced by things like social class, education, life experience and identity. These factors shape how we see and understand the world around us.

Unconscious bias could lead us to treat people who are different to us unfairly without realising, affecting things such as the friends we make, or people who we consider of value to us.

The important thing to remember is that everyone has unconscious biases. Just try to be aware of when they might be influencing your decisions. Other Side of the Story looked at unconscious bias in relation to how it may have affected the players' votes on The Celebrity Traitors.

You can also take a look here as different celebrities try to work out what unconscious bias means.

• Gender bias

This is where people are discriminated against because of their gender. It can be a form of unconscious bias, where we make opinions on somebody's skills, strengths, achievements - or other important details - purely on their gender.

As an example, take a look at this article which shows how women have been represented differently from men, even when they have done similar things - such as taking parental leave, starting a new job, or being photographed after a big party.

How can bias influence decisions?

Being biased can impact our decisions and reactions, because having strong views might make us overlook facts and other people's viewpoints, which can often provide a different angle to a story.

For example, if you support a football club, you might be biased towards that team as you could believe they’re the best in the world – even if they’re at the bottom of the league!

Bias and social media

People can post whatever they like on social media. They're not always worried about presenting a fair view and their biases can influence the views they write or share.

It's always worth looking for different posts on the same subject, so that you can see different viewpoints before making your own judgement on a story. If you only follow accounts with similar opinions to your own, an algorithm will recommend similar accounts to you, meaning you are likely to only ever experience one side of a story as it creates something called a filter bubble, similar to an echo chamber. Limiting ourselves to a single viewpoint can also help the spread of viral fake news.

Take a look at this article if you would like to know how to control what you see on your TikTok fyp page.

Look also for posts from impartial, trusted sources, such as some news providers. These are usually verified with a blue tick on Instagram and other social platforms.

When you have a range of opinions, you can then use critical thinking to form your own view.

This article was updated in November 2025

Not sure if the news you’re seeing on social media is true or false? Can you always tell if the things you see online are real or fake? Learn how to get the other side of the story with our quizzes, videos and explainers.