40 Examples of Social Facts

John Spacey, updated on October 13, 2023

Social facts are observable and objective social realities that exercise social control over individuals. These are socially constructed with human agreements, understandings, conventions and traditions. Social facts may be invented by society but are very real such that they shape behavior and are difficult for individuals to ignore. The following are common examples of social facts.

Languages	Nations
Laws	Justice and justice systems
Crime	Military organizations
War	Norms
Religions	Customs
Traditions	Economic systems
Markets	Corporations & organizations
Jobs	Roles
Institutions	Marriage
Education and education systems	Political systems
Money	Technology
Cities	Social class
Social status	Social identity
Holidays	Culture
Cuisine	Sports
Etiquette	Media
Taxes	Clothing and fashion
Patriotism	Borders
Healthcare	Constitutions
Rights	Freedoms

Are Social Facts Negative?

Social facts are not inherently negative or positive. They typically provide the things that people need such as goods, learning, stability, social belonging, peaceful coexistence and so forth. They do exercise social control in that they provide a shape for society. The alternative would be for each individual to completely invent all things for themselves along the lines of anarchy and relativism.

Definition

Social facts were first proposed by French sociologist Émile Durkheim. Durkheim defined social facts as "manners of acting, thinking and feeling external to the individual, which are invested with a coercive power by virtue of which they exercise control over him". He viewed sociology as the "science of social facts".

Next: Social Constructs

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