In The Creature from Jekyll Island, Edward E. Griffin probably summarises this best of all. He discusses the idea that major societal changes—particularly revolutions—are often initiated by a small, determined minority rather than by the majority. He references historical examples where a dedicated 3-5% of the population was enough to start and sustain revolutionary movements.

The American Revolution for instance.

The masses were never going to understand it. As with Covid, they'll move with the prevailing sentiment / authority as instructed.