Book contents
- Psychology of Democracy
- Psychology of Democracy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chapter 1 Psychology of Democracy
- Part I Of the People
- Part II By the People
- Chapter 8 Trust in Political Institutions and Support for Authoritarianism
- Chapter 9 New Technology, Language and Gesture in Contemporary Indian Political Discourse
- Chapter 10 Fact or Fiction
- Chapter 11 Dissecting the Psychology of a Voter
- Chapter 12 Building Trust through a Revolving Door of Leaders:
- Chapter 13 After the Party Is Over
- Part III For the People
- Index
- References
Chapter 10 - Fact or Fiction
Influences on Voter Decision-Making in a Disinformation Environment
from Part II - By the People
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 February 2022
- Psychology of Democracy
- Psychology of Democracy
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Chapter 1 Psychology of Democracy
- Part I Of the People
- Part II By the People
- Chapter 8 Trust in Political Institutions and Support for Authoritarianism
- Chapter 9 New Technology, Language and Gesture in Contemporary Indian Political Discourse
- Chapter 10 Fact or Fiction
- Chapter 11 Dissecting the Psychology of a Voter
- Chapter 12 Building Trust through a Revolving Door of Leaders:
- Chapter 13 After the Party Is Over
- Part III For the People
- Index
- References
Summary
Disinformation in politics has exploded in recent years. With the rise of social media, the availability of disinformation is compounded and is easier than ever to disseminate. Research shows false political news spreads more rapidly than factually correct information, often through negative campaigns. Among efforts to fight this scourge, media organisations have turned to fact-checks to correct the record. In this chapter, we examine if voters pay attention to fact-checks in negative campaigns and to what degree fact-checks can hold candidates to account. We show that citizens find political attacks on opponents salient for voting decisions, but voters are also likely to seek fact-checks on negativity when available. Showing motivated biases, attacks by preferred candidates on less-liked opponents are sought more than the other way around, while fact-checks about a political opponent’s attacks are examined more often. Importantly, when fact-checks indicate a candidate is lying, voters are more likely to avoid that candidate, suggesting fact-checking may be able to play a role in reducing voters’ acceptance of candidates who spread disinformation.
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- Psychology of DemocracyOf the People, By the People, For the People, pp. 229 - 249Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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