Fact-checks Can Counter Presidential Misinformation on Climate Change Despite Political Backfire

Presidential misinformation about climate change raises concerns, especially during campaigns.

Data & Methods

Experiments conducted online and via telephone measured the effects of exposure to Donald Trump's misstatements regarding climate science. Following each misstatement, some participants received corrective fact-checks.

Findings

• Participants exposed to Trump misinformation alone showed reduced factual accuracy about climate change.
• Fact-checks improved factual knowledge for all subjects equally when correcting co-partisan misinformation.
• Despite the resistance often seen among Republicans,
• The source of information (fact vs. presidential claim) had a stronger impact on their beliefs than correction attempts.
• Policy preferences remained unaffected by either the misinformation or subsequent corrections.

Implications for Research & Practice

This research demonstrates that fact-checks can improve public understanding even when correcting politically charged claims from presidents, though they may not prevent preexisting political predispositions (priming) from influencing attitudes. While debunking helps limit factual errors caused by presidential misinformation, it does not change the fundamental challenge of countering its influence on climate attitudes.