How Politics Shape Views Toward Fact-Checking: Evidence from Six European Countries
Open accessAbstract
Fact-checking has spread internationally, in part to confront the rise of digital disinformation campaigns. American studies suggests ideological asymmetry in attitudes toward fact-checking, as well as greater acceptance of the practice among those more interested in and knowledgeable about politics. We examine attitudes toward fact-checking across six European counties to put these findings in a broader context ( N = 6,067). We find greater familiarity with and acceptance of fact-checking in Northern Europe (Sweden and Germany) than elsewhere (Italy, Spain, France, and Poland). We further find two dimensions of political antipathy: a left–right dimension and an “anti-elite” dimension (including dissatisfaction with democracy and negative feelings toward the European Union), the latter of which more consistently predicts negative feelings toward fact-checkers in the countries examined. Our findings demonstrate that despite general acceptance of the movement, significant political divides remain. Those less likely to trust fact-checkers could be more vulnerable to disinformation targeting these divides, leading to a spiral of cynicism.
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The psychological drivers of misinformation belief and its resistance to correction
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- Authors
- Lyons, B., Mérola, V., Reifler, J., & Stoeckel, F.
- Affiliations
- The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Stony Brook University (US)
- University of Exeter (GB)
- Venue
- The International Journal of Press/Politics
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2020-07
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 469-492
- ISSN
- 1040-1620 (ISSN-L)
- 1940-1612
- 1940-1620
- OpenAlex
- W3033146297
- Cited by
- 82
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 3
- FWCI
- 11.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- The International Journal of Press/Politics (publishedVersion)
- Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (acceptedVersion)
- Durham Research Online (Durham University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- H2020 European Research Council (682785)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
- Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
- Keywords
- fact-checking, political ideology, left-right divide, disinformation, political cynicism, European Union attitudes
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