If learning styles are debunked, why do so many people still believe in it?

Because it's the most persistent neuromyth — belief among educators sits near 90% across multiple countries and years.

Dekker et al. (2012) surveyed teachers and found roughly 93% in the UK and 96% in the Netherlands endorsed learning styles. A later review by Newton & Salvi (2020) still put belief near 89% of educators. It's intuitive, flattering, and everyone "knows" their style — so it sticks despite the evidence.

Its persistence is a lesson in itself: an idea can be nearly universal and confidently taught and still be wrong. Popularity is not evidence.