In a 2020 study, Ukrainians who perceived a higher level of conflict between Ukraine and Russia were less likely to endorse false, negative news about the European Union, but more likely to endorse false, negative news about Russia. Honorata Mazepus of Leiden University and colleagues present these findings on 22 March in the open access journal PLOS ONE.
International geopolitical conflicts often involve the dissemination of false information about opponents through digital disinformation campaigns. However, much remains to be learned about the influence of such conflict on people’s tendency to believe in and share false news about competing parties.
To better understand the adoption of misinformation, Mazepus and colleagues conducted a study of 1,615 adults living in urban areas in Ukraine. The investigation was conducted in 2020, prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, but after relations between Russia and Ukraine had already deteriorated sharply and Russia was blamed for spreading false news to reduce support for the European Union. Participants were asked to read fake, negative news stories about Russia, the European Union or, for a neutral comparison, Tanzania, which is not involved in the conflict.
Analysis of the survey responses showed that participants who perceived a higher level of conflict between Ukraine and Russia were less likely to believe in and share the false stories about the European Union, but were more likely to believe the false stories about Russia. endorse. Stories about Tanzania were the least endorsed.
These findings suggest that people’s tendency to endorse fake news doesn’t just depend on their group identity; it also depends on perceptions of the level of conflict between their group and another group. This implies that de-escalating conflicts can help prevent the spread of disinformation.
The authors say this study is the latest in a growing body of research supporting the concept of motivated reasoning — the idea that people are more likely to endorse information that aligns with their pre-existing beliefs while rejecting information that contradicts their beliefs. challenges beliefs. beliefs.
The authors add: “The main finding of our research is that people’s tendency to endorse fake news does not only depend on their group identity. Different group identities need not lead to hostility. What matters to spreading and believing disinformation about another group is whether we see them as enemies.”
Magazine reference
- Mazepus H, Osmudsen M, Bang-Petersen M, Toshkov D, Dimitrova A (2023) Information battlefield: conflict perceptions motivate belief in and sharing of misinformation about the adversary. PLOS ONE 18(3): e0282308. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282308
