Prominent misinformation interventions reduce misperceptions but increase scepticism

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Political Science
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Misinformation poses a significant threat to democratic societies.
• Existing interventions like fact-checking and media literacy may have unintended negative consequences.
• Skepticism towards information, including accurate content, can be a byproduct of these interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the negative spillover effects of common misinformation interventions.
• To compare the efficacy and drawbacks of existing strategies against alternative approaches.
• To assess the impact of interventions on perceptions of both factual and false information and trust in democratic institutions.

Main Methods:

• Three online survey experiments were conducted in the United States, Poland, and Hong Kong.
• A total of 6,127 participants were exposed to fact-checking, media literacy tips, and media coverage of misinformation.
• Alternative interventions were also tested and compared against existing strategies.

Main Results:

• All tested interventions successfully reduced belief in false information.
• However, interventions also negatively impacted the perceived credibility of factual information.
• Exposure to these strategies led to increased skepticism towards information in general.

Conclusions:

• Current misinformation interventions, while effective against falsehoods, can inadvertently foster broader skepticism.
• There is a critical need for developing improved strategies to combat misinformation.
• Future interventions must aim to minimize harm to the credibility of accurate information and maintain trust in democratic institutions.