TY - CHAP

T1 - When Facts Lie

T2 - The Impact of Misleading Numbers in Climate Change News

AU - Stubenvoll, Marlis

AU - Marquart, Franziska

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - This study examines how numerical misinformation in the news can lead to a bias in readers’ own judgment on climate change issues after a retraction. Building on theories of the continued influence effect and anchoring, the experimental research investigates the link between inaccurate facts, biased estimations, and the evaluation of climate change policies and risks. The results indicate that presenting participants with a low number on the carbon footprint of commuting traffic induces a bias into their own estimated values. This effect appears regardless of the participants’ level of issue involvement. However, the study finds no subsequent effect of this bias on participants’ policy support or perceived threat of climate change. The results are discussed in light of anchoring and misinformation theories. The paper proposes media literacy as a fruitful avenue to a more accurate understanding of climate change in view of a factually flawed representation of climate change in the news.

AB - This study examines how numerical misinformation in the news can lead to a bias in readers’ own judgment on climate change issues after a retraction. Building on theories of the continued influence effect and anchoring, the experimental research investigates the link between inaccurate facts, biased estimations, and the evaluation of climate change policies and risks. The results indicate that presenting participants with a low number on the carbon footprint of commuting traffic induces a bias into their own estimated values. This effect appears regardless of the participants’ level of issue involvement. However, the study finds no subsequent effect of this bias on participants’ policy support or perceived threat of climate change. The results are discussed in light of anchoring and misinformation theories. The paper proposes media literacy as a fruitful avenue to a more accurate understanding of climate change in view of a factually flawed representation of climate change in the news.

KW - Anchoring

KW - Climate change

KW - Continued influence effect

KW - Misinformation

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071479770&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-98294-6_3

DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-98294-6_3

M3 - Book chapter

AN - SCOPUS:85071479770

SN - 978-3-319-98293-9

T3 - Climate Change Management

SP - 31

EP - 46

BT - Climate Change Management

PB - Springer VS

CY - Cham

ER -