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Inoculating the Public against Misinformation about Climate Change.
Sander van der Linden1, Anthony Leiserowitz2, Seth Rosenthal2
1Department of Psychology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK CB2 3EB UK.
Global Challenges (Hoboken, NJ)
|October 1, 2019
Summary
Communicating climate change consensus can counter misinformation. Research shows that highlighting expert agreement and "inoculating" the public can protect attitudes against disinformation campaigns.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Psychology
- Science Communication
- Public Opinion Research
Background:
- Addressing climate change necessitates behavioral shifts, yet science politicization and disinformation campaigns hinder public engagement.
- Existing research on public opinion often lacks real-world applicability and has not addressed protecting against misinformation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore how individuals process climate change consensus cues within a polarized information environment.
- To investigate methods for protecting public attitudes against climate change misinformation.
Main Methods:
- Examined public evaluation of expert consensus on climate change.
- Tested the efficacy of pre-emptive "inoculation" strategies against misinformation.
Main Results:
- Individuals process consensus information differently in polarized contexts.
- "Inoculation" techniques were found effective in protecting attitudes against misinformation.
- Expert consensus messaging can mitigate the impact of disinformation.
Conclusions:
- Highlighting scientific consensus is a viable strategy to counter climate change misinformation.
- Pre-emptive "inoculation" offers a promising approach to bolster public resilience against disinformation.
- Effective science communication strategies are crucial for public engagement on climate change.
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