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Combatting Climate Disinformation: Comparing the Effectiveness of Correction Placement and Type

Christner, Clara ORCID iD icon 1; Merz, Pascal; Barkela, Berend; Jungkunst, Hermann; von Sikorski, Christian
1 Communications Engineering Lab (CEL), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

Abstract:

In this study, we investigated whether corrections can combat climate
disinformation. Using a preregistered quota-based online experiment in
Germany (N = 1401), we tested how the effectiveness of disinformation
correction in reducing climate misperceptions was influenced by
correction placement (prebunking or debunking) and correction type
(focused on facts, logic, or the combination of both). We investigated
how populist radical-right (PRR) attitudes moderate the effect of
disinformation correction and whether correction alleviates the negative
effects of disinformation on efficacy beliefs to mitigate climate change
(EBMCC) through reduced misperceptions. All debunking conditions
and the logic-focused prebunking condition significantly reduced
climate misperceptions. Prebunking was only effective under the logic-
focused correction condition. We found no moderating effect of PRR
attitudes on climate misperceptions, suggesting that corrections
similarly benefitted all participants. In addition, a significant indirect
effect of corrections was observed on EBMCC via climate misperceptions.

Zugehörige Institution(en) am KIT Communications Engineering Lab (CEL)
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Publikationstyp Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Publikationsdatum 17.08.2024
Sprache Englisch
Identifikator ISSN: 1752-4032, 1752-4040
KITopen-ID: 1000178536
Erschienen in Environmental Communication
Verlag Routledge
Band 18
Heft 6
Seiten 729–742
Vorab online veröffentlicht am 04.03.2024
Nachgewiesen in Scopus
Web of Science
Dimensions

Verlagsausgabe §
DOI: 10.5445/IR/1000178536
Veröffentlicht am 29.01.2025
Seitenaufrufe: 7
seit 31.01.2025
Downloads: 9
seit 02.02.2025
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