Misinformation has emerged as a key threat worldwide, with scholars frequently highlighting the role of partisan motivated reasoning in misinformation belief. Yet the mechanisms enabling the endorsement of misinformation may differ in contexts where other identities are salient. A new article in the British Journal of Political Science co-authored by SIS Professor Sumitra Badrinathan explores whether religion drives the endorsement of misinformation in India.

Using original data, Badrinathan and her co-author Simon Chauchard first show that individuals with high levels of religiosity and religious polarization endorse significantly higher levels of misinformation. Next, to understand the causal mechanisms through which religion operates, they field an experiment where corrections rely on religious messaging, and/or manipulate perceptions of religious ingroup identity. Badrinathan and Chauchard find that corrections including religious frames (1) reduce the endorsement of misinformation; (2) are sometimes more effective than standard corrections; and (3) work beyond the specific story corrected. These findings highlight the religious roots of belief formation and provide hope that social identities can be marshalled to counter misinformation.

Read the full article here.