When corrections fail: the persistence of political misperceptions
When corrections fail: the persistence of political misperceptions
An extensive literature addresses citizen ignorance, but very little research focuses on misperceptions. Can these false or unsubstantiated beliefs about politics be corrected? Previous studies have not tested the efficacy of corrections in a realistic format. We conducted four experiments in which subjects read mock news articles that included either a misleading claim from a politician, or a misleading claim and a correction. Results indicate that corrections frequently fail to reduce misperceptions among the targeted ideological group. We also document several instances of a “backfire effect” in which corrections actually increase misperceptions among the group in question.
303–330
Nyhan, Brendan
76e1ec80-0af5-432d-9dd6-f7e8237191e4
Reifler, Jason
426301a1-f90b-470d-a076-04a9d716c491
1 March 2010
Nyhan, Brendan
76e1ec80-0af5-432d-9dd6-f7e8237191e4
Reifler, Jason
426301a1-f90b-470d-a076-04a9d716c491
Nyhan, Brendan and Reifler, Jason
(2010)
When corrections fail: the persistence of political misperceptions.
Political Behavior, 32, .
(doi:10.1007/s11109-010-9112-2).
Abstract
An extensive literature addresses citizen ignorance, but very little research focuses on misperceptions. Can these false or unsubstantiated beliefs about politics be corrected? Previous studies have not tested the efficacy of corrections in a realistic format. We conducted four experiments in which subjects read mock news articles that included either a misleading claim from a politician, or a misleading claim and a correction. Results indicate that corrections frequently fail to reduce misperceptions among the targeted ideological group. We also document several instances of a “backfire effect” in which corrections actually increase misperceptions among the group in question.
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Published date: 1 March 2010
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Local EPrints ID: 500567
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/500567
ISSN: 0190-9320
PURE UUID: c3e6e59e-15af-4c99-b102-aaa91b90d753
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Date deposited: 06 May 2025 16:44
Last modified: 07 May 2025 02:13
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Author:
Brendan Nyhan
Author:
Jason Reifler
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