belief in rumors hard to dispel

7/29/2019 BELIEF IN RUMORS HARD TO DISPEL

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BELIEFINRUMORSHARDTODISPELFactcheckingeasilyunderminedbyimages,unrelatedfacts

October27,2010

ErikNisbet,AssistantProfessor,SchoolofCommunication,OhioStateUniversity

KellyGarrett,AssistantProfessor,SchoolofCommunication,OhioStateUniversity

http://www.comm.ohiostate.edu/kgarrett/FactcheckMosqueRumors.pdf

Forotherresultsfromthisstudy,see:

http://www.comm.ohiostate.edu/kgarrett/MediaMosqueRumors.pdf

SchoolofCommunication

OhioStateUniversity

3016DerbyHall

154N.OvalMall

Columbus,OH43221


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OVERVIEWToday,morethan70millionAmericansthinkthatPresidentObamawasborninaforeigncountry,

despiteextensiveevidencetothecontrary.1 Thisisatroublingstatistic,suggestingthatmanycitizens

areunable

or

unwilling

adjust

their

beliefs

in

response

to

objective

information.

In

this

study,

we

sought

toidentifyconditionsthatleadpeopletodisregardorrejectfactualevidencewhenformulatingtheir

beliefs.

Recentresearchsuggeststhatavarietyoffactorscancontributetothisbehavior. Weknow,for

example,thatpeoplearemoreinclinedtobelievepoliticalsmearsaboutcandidatestheyperceivetobe

sociallydifferent. Andinsomecases,effortstocorrectmisinformationcanactuallybackfire,leading

peopletoembracetheirinaccuratebeliefs. Ourquestionwaswhetherinformationincludedina

rebuttal,but

unrelated

to

the

rumor,

could

also

play

a

role.

Specifically,

we

wanted

to

know

whether

imagesorunrelatedopinionsmightshapepeoplesreactiontoafactualrebuttal.

ThecontroversyovertheproposedconstructionofaculturalcenterandmosqueinNewYorkCityjusta

fewblocksfromGroundZeroprovidesthebackdropforthisstudy. Wepresentedparticipantsinthe

studywithoneofseveraldifferentversionsofarebuttaltoarumorabouttheImambackingtheproject.

Wefindthatincludinginformationunrelatedtotherumorintherebuttalpowerfullyinfluencespeoples

decisiontoacceptorrejectthefactualinformation.

1AccordingtoaCNNsurveyconductedinAugust2010,between24%and30%ofthepopulationsaythatObama

wasprobablyordefinitelyborninanothercountry. (Seehttp://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/08/04/cnn

pollquarterdoubtpresidentwasborninus/)


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EXECUTIVESUMMARYWeconductedanationalonlinesurvey(N=750)betweenSeptember14thandSeptember19thto

examinehowavarietyoffactorsinfluencedAmericansexposuretoandbeliefinfourfalserumors

abouttheproposedconstructionofanIslamiccommunitycenterandmosqueinNewYorkCitytwo

blocksfrom

ground

zero.

In

addition

to

these

measures,

the

survey

also

included

detailed

factual

informationrefutingoneoftherumorspresented.Therewerefourdifferentversionsofthisrebuttal,

andwhichonerespondentssawwasrandomlydetermined.Somerespondentswerenotpresentedwith

anyrebuttals.Ourgoalwastolookathowtheformarebuttaltakescaninfluenceitseffectiveness.

KeyFindings:

Rebuttalsaresometimeseffective,butrumorbeliefsarerobusto Overall,only35%ofparticipantswhohadencounteredtherumorbeforeandbelievedit

heldmoreaccuratebeliefsafterreadingtherebuttal,andevenfewer,about28%,were

movedtorejecttherumor.

o BothasimpletextonlyrebuttalandthesamerebuttalpairedwithanimageoftheImamdressinWesternstylebusinessclothingcontributedtomoreaccuratebeliefs.

o Aboutaquarter(26%)ofallsubjectswhowereinitiallyunsureabouttheveracityoftherumororwhobelievedtherumorwastruedescribedtherumorasfalseafterseeing

oneofthesetworebuttals.

Rebuttalscanbeunderminedbyaccompanyinginformationo Includinginformationunrelatedtotherumor,butwhichsomerecipientsfound

objectionable,sappedtherebuttalofitspowertoinfluencepeoplesbeliefs.The

informationinthiscasewasastatementmadebytheImamthatU.S.foreignpolicymay

havecontributed

to

the

9/11

terrorist

attacks.

o Includinginformationthatreinforcedsocialdistancebetweenthetargetoftherumorandtherecipientoftherebuttalalsorenderedtherebuttalineffective.Inthiscase,

includinganimagethathighlightedtheImamsMuslimAmericanidentityundermined

thefactualinformationincludedintherebuttal.

Rebuttalsdidnotdrivepeopletolessaccuratebeliefsinthisstudyo Effortstoproduceaboomerangorbackfireeffectconsistentlyfailed.Factual

informationpresentedinwaysthatcouldhavecausedindividualstoembracetheir

inaccuratebeliefsdidnotdoso.

o Rumorbeliefswerenotdrivenupbyeither(1)arebuttalthatvisuallyhighlightedthewaysinwhichtheImamsculturalbackgroundmakeshimdifferentfrommost

Americans,or(2)arebuttalthatemphasizedthatheholdsviewpointsthatsome

Americanswouldfindobjectionable.


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Table1.BeliefinRumoraboutImambyCondition

Rebuttalpresented*

% Probably/

DefinitelyTrue

%Probably/

Definitely

False

%Unsure

Straighttextrebuttal(N=149):

PreRebuttal 24 48

28

PostRebuttal 22 62 16

Difference+/ 2 +14 12

Rebuttalwithimageemphasizinglowsocialdistance(N=148):

PreRebuttal 36 39 25


Difference+/ 10 +16 5

Norebuttal(control)(N=154):

PreRebuttal 31 31 38


Difference+/ +4 +3 8

*Onlyconditionssignificantlydifferentfromcontrolarepresented.Thesedataarenotbasedona

representativesample,

so

the

proportions

of

people

who

believe

the

rumors

reported

here

do

not

necessarilyreflectthenationalaverage.


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METHODOLOGICALAPPENDIX

SurveyDataCollection&Analysis:ThesurveywasconductedbetweenSeptember14thandSeptember

19th,2010.Thesampleincluded750adultsrepresentingaheterogeneouscrosssectionofAmericans.

RespondentswererecruitedfromanationalonlinepaneladministeredbySurveySampling

International.Because

this

is

not

a

representative

sample,

the

proportion

of

people

who

have

heard

or

believedtherumorsreportedhereshouldnotbetakentoreflectthenationalaverage.Instead,the

analysesreportedherefocusondifferencesinexposureandbeliefassociatedwithdifferentkindsof

mediause.Allresultsemploystatisticalcontrolsforkeydemographics,religiousandpolitical

orientations,andattentiontonewsaboutthemosque.Thismeansthatthepatternsobservedarenot

theresultofdifferenceontheseattributes.

Table2.RespondentDemographics

Demographic %ofRespondents Demographic %ofRespondents

Gender Religion

Male

45 EvangelicalProtestant

27

Female 55 MainlineProtestant 17

Age Catholic 20

1835 44 Atheist/Agnostic 22

3650 26 Jewish 3

5165 22 Other 11

Over65 8 PoliticalParty

Education Democrat/LeanDemocrat 40

HighSchoolorless 23 Independent 28

SomeCollege/2yrDegree 40 Republican/LeanRepublican 32

4yrCollegeDegreeormore 37 PoliticalIdeology

Race Liberal 30

White

83 Moderate

37Black 7 Conservative 33

Other 10

HouseholdIncome

Lessthan$50,000 60

$50,000 $74,999 19

$75,000ormore 21


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Abouttherumorandrebuttals:

ThefalserumorthatwasthesubjectofthisstudyisastatementthatFeisalAbdulRauf,theImam

backingtheproposedIslamicculturalcenterandmosque,isaterroristsympathizerwhorefusesto

condemnIslamicattacksoncivilians.Thereisnoevidencethatthisstatementistrueaccordingto

FactCheck.org,a

fact

checking

service

run

by

the

Annenberg

Public

Policy

Center

and

Politifact,

the

PulitzerprizewinningserviceoftheSt.PetersburgTimes.

TherebuttalsaresummariesofinformationprovidedonFactCheck.org,andweresupplementedwith

informationfromtheWashingtonPost.

Straighttextrebuttal:

Factcheck.org,anawardwinningnonpartisan,nonprofit"consumeradvocate"forvotersthataimsto

reducethelevelofdeceptionandconfusioninU.S.politics,examinedtheissue.Theywrotethatthey

foundnoevidencethatFeisalAbdulRaufwasantiAmericanoraterroristsympathizer.Infact,Mr.

AbdulRaufhasbeenavocalcriticofIslamicextremistsandhascondemnedtheiruseofviolentattacks.

HehasahistoryofsupportingU.S.initiativesdesignedtostopMuslimextremismthatdatesbacktothe

Bushadministration.

Inboth2007and2010hetraveledthroughtheMiddleEasttotalkaboutreligioustoleranceaspartofa

speakerprogramsponsoredbytheAmericanStateDepartment.Andinarecentinterviewwiththe

WashingtonPosthespokeaboutthegroupproposingtobuildaMuslimcommunitycenternearground

zero:Wearenottheextremists.WearethatvastmajorityofMuslimswhostandupagainstextremism

andprovideavoiceinresponsetotheradicalrhetoric.

Textrebuttalwithobjectionableinformation(boldedhereforclarity):

Factcheck.org,anawardwinningnonpartisan,nonprofit"consumeradvocate"forvotersthataimsto

reducethelevelofdeceptionandconfusioninU.S.politics,examinedtheissue.Theywrotethatthey

foundno

evidence

that

Feisal

Abdul

Rauf

was

anti

American

or

a

terrorist

sympathizer.

In

fact,

Mr.

AbdulRaufhasbeenavocalcriticofIslamicextremistsandhascondemnedtheiruseofviolentattacks.

AlthoughMr.AdbulRaufhassaidthattheU.S.bearsresponsibilityforharmcausedbyitspolicies

towardtheMiddleEast,heisquicktopointoutthatterrorismisneverjustified.

AndinarecentinterviewwiththeWashingtonPosthespokeaboutthegroupproposingtobuilda

Muslimcommunitycenterneargroundzero:Wearenottheextremists.Wearethatvastmajorityof

Muslimswhostandupagainstextremismandprovideavoiceinresponsetotheradicalrhetoric.Our

missionistointerweaveAmericasMuslimpopulationintomainstreamsociety.WeareaMuslim

Americanforceforpromotingtheuniversalvaluesofjusticeandpeacefulcoexistence


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Imagespairedwithstraighttextrebuttal:

Lowsocialdistance Highsocialdistance

Credit:DNAinfo/JulieShapiro Credit:HasanJamali/AP

FormoreinformationonrumorsandrebuttalsabouttheproposedmosquenearGroundZero,see:

http://factcheck.org/2010/08/questionsaboutthegroundzeromosque/

http://www.politifact.com/truthometer/article/2010/aug/20/factcheckinggroundzeromosque

debate/


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COMMONQUESTIONSABOUTTHESTUDYWhatdowemeanbyrumors?Rumorsareunverifiedinformationthatpeopleshareinanattempttomakesenseofadifficultor

troublingsituation. Interestinrumorsisnotthemarkoffoolishnessornaivety,normusttheirspread

bepurposeful

or

malicious.

Rumors

are

a

by

product

of

the

fact

that

we

are

social

creatures

with

a

deep

needtomakesenseoftheworld. Politicalrumoringhaslonghistory. TheancientGreekhistorian

Thucydideswroteabouttheirimportancemorethantwomillenniaago.

Howarefalserumorsdifferentfrommisinformation?Rumorsareunsubstantiated:theirpersuasivepowerstemsfromtheirplausibility,fromhowsuccessfully

theyaddressapressingconcern,fromhowwelltheylineupwiththerecipientspriorbeliefs,andso

forth. Misinformation,incontrast,isafalseclaimthatispresentedasaccurateandverified.

Furthermore,althoughbothrumorsandmisinformationcanbemotivatedbyapoliticalagenda,rumors

donothavetobe. Misinformationisbydefinitionanintentionaldistortionoffact. Falserumors,in

contrast,may

be

intentional,

but

they

do

not

have

to

be.

Propaganda

rumors

and

whispering

campaigns

useinnuendoandhearsayinanattempttohurtacandidateorreducesupportforanissue. Political

rumors,however,canalsoemergespontaneouslyandhonestlyasgroupsofpeopleworktomakesense

ofacomplexsituation.

Howdoweknowtheserumorsarefalse?Whydidwepicktheserumors?Weselectedtheserumorsbecauseprofessionalfactcheckingserviceshavereportedthattheyarefalse.

Weintentionallychoosesomerumorsthatwerewellknown,andsomethatweremoreobscure. We

dontclaimthatthesearearepresentativesampleoftherumorsaboutthisissue. Also,wenotethat

rumorsbytheirnatureareconstantlyevolving,sothestatementsweaskedaboutareonlyasnapshotof

rumorsatamomentintime.

Doesbelievingafalserumormeanthatapersonisignorant,unintelligentorprejudice?Weallhavelimitsaboutwhatweknow,andthatdoesntmeanthateveryonelackseducationorthe

abilitytolearn. Whentryingtomakesenseofalargeandcomplicatedworld,peoplemustrelyon

mentalshortcuts. Sometimesourbeliefsarebasedonwhatseemsplausible;sometimestheydepend

onwhatsomeonewetrusttoldus. Theseshortcutsoftenworkverywell,buttheyarentperfect.

Sometimesaplausibleexplanationisnttherightone,andsometimesthesourceswetrustarewrong.

Beliefinafalserumoroftendoesreflectbias,butitsimportanttorememberthatweareallinfluenced

bybiases. Wetrustsomesourcesmorethanothers,notsimplybecauseweareideologues,butbecause

weourexperiencetellsusthatthosesourceshaveperformedbetterinthepast. Wetrustsome

interpretationsmorethanothersnotbecauseweareblindtothetruth,butbecauseweareskeptical

whensomeonetriestoconvinceusthatwhatwebelievetobetrueisfalse. Wewonder,forexample,

doesthatpersonhavesomeothermotive? Biasedjudgmentcanoccurevenwhenpeoplehavethebest

ofintentions.

belief in rumors hard to dispel

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