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The role of science and politics in sharing misinformation: towards evidence-based mechanisms for countering misinformation

What mecanisms drive the spread of misinformation in contemporary information systems?

Research

Abstract

This project investigates the causal and structural mechanisms that drive the spread of misinformation in contemporary information systems. It focuses on the role of scientific authority cues--references to scientists, institutions, or reports--in shaping people’s willingness to share false / low-veracity content and the resulting potential for polarization.

The research strategy combines large-scale observational analysis with randomized experiments. First, the project maps how fact-checked content circulates across public platforms (especially X/Twitter), using computational text analysis to identify mentions of scientific and political entities. Second, it complements these mappings with pre-registered online experiments testing how authority cues influence sharing intentions, perceived accuracy, and trust.

Project funding

Project Liberty Institute

Project team members