Climate change advocates lose in age of misinformation, study shows

Even staunch climate change advocates can be influenced if they repeatedly hear climate-skeptical claims from a single source, a new study found.

The study from The Australian National University, published in nonprofit open-access publisher Public Library of Science, showed the alarming impact of repeated exposure to climate-skeptical claims.

While people tend to believe information that aligns with their existing views, research has shown that repeated exposure to any claim, regardless of its accuracy, can increase its perceived truth, the study said.

While climate change supporters were more likely to endorse climate science-consistent claims, the mere repetition of both climate science and climate-skeptic statements boosted their perceived credibility, it added.

This demonstrated the power of repetition in shaping beliefs, even in a situation where you’re faced with rebuttals.

“This increase in perceived truth after repetition occurred even for groups highly concerned about climate change, and when people could later identify that the claim supports the other side,” said lead author and PhD student Mary Jiang.

This is particularly concerning, given the prevalence of these claims in media outlets that often position them as “balanced” reporting, the study said.

“Giving equal exposure to opposing voices makes it sound like the evidence and number of people in favour of each view is also equal. But most, if not all, climate scientists agree on human-induced climate change,” said Jiang.

The study highlighted the vulnerability of the public to misinformation in the digital age as associate professor Eryn Newman, co-author of the study, emphasized that just because you are familiar with something, doesn’t mean that it’s the truth.

“A feeling of familiarity is not a reliable cue to truth in digital environments where bots and other mechanisms can lead to a broad spread of false or misleading claims,” she said.

Despite these findings, the researchers discovered a silver lining. Repeating scientifically accurate climate information increased participants’ belief in those claims, suggesting that repetition can be an important tool in tackling misinformation as well.

However, the study also underlines the need for further research to understand the full extent of the problem, which the researchers plan to investigate the effects of repetitions among certain demographics, including climate skeptics, and explore the impact of the repetition of misinformation on other issues as well, like immigration and healthcare.

“The bottom line is, we should be cautious about repeating false information. Instead, repeat what is true and enhance its familiarity,” said Newman.