If others abide by the rule, I follow suit
Research report (imported) 2021 - Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods
Summary
To a surprising degree, individuals are willing to follow rules just because they are in force. This even holds for patently arbitrary rules. But there is a catch. The more of her peers violate the rule, the more the average individual is inclined to do the same. This suggests that rule following is a precious resource for governing society, but that this resource requires vigilance.