Political Science · Level 3 · Advanced
Does truth matter to voters? The effects of correcting political misinformation in an Australian sample
Aird MJ, Ecker UKH, Swire B, et al. (2018). Royal Society Open Science. doi:10.1098/rsos.180593 · CC BY 4.0
Step 1 of 2Read the paper
Do fact-checks change what people believe about politicians' statements, and do they change support for those politicians? Australian participants rated real statements by a left-wing or a right-wing party leader before and after fact-checks. Researchers varied whether people saw mostly false statements (4 false : 1 true) or a balance (4 : 4), and measured voting intentions, feelings and perceived honesty.
How to read it
- Read Section 4 carefully: it states both hypotheses (H1 and H2) and the three sub-questions.
- In Methods, list which factors were randomly assigned and which were measured, and note the exclusion rules.
- Table 1 and Figures 1–3 hold the key results; check which effects are main effects and which are interactions.
- Discussion 7.2 and 7.3 explain alternative explanations and how the results compare with a US study.
Step 2 of 2Take the test
15 questions · about 50 minutes including reading · pick an answer to see straight away if it’s right. Nothing is saved.
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Paper: Aird MJ, Ecker UKH, Swire B, et al., Royal Society Open Science (2018), licensed CC BY 4.0. Summary and questions are Research Nest’s own; read the original for the full study.