Is Russian Propaganda Making Us More Cynical?

• In Event: Russian Interference

Abstract

Does exposure to foreign propaganda increase political cynicism and conspiratorial views? What effect do inoculation messages have on citizens’ receptivity to propaganda? In an online survey experiment, I subject subgroups of Americans to a message from Russia Today (RT), a Russian international television network, criticizing the U.S. electoral system. I vary whether individuals know the criticism comes from Russia and whether they received a warning message about Russian propaganda prior to reading the message. I find that Russian propaganda does not increase political cynicism or conspiratorial view, regardless of source awareness or exposure to an inoculation message. Moreover, warning messages about propaganda actually lower people’s belief that Russia poses a threat to U.S. democracy, suggesting that warning messages may be ineffective in inoculating citizens from foreign propaganda.

Author

• Aleksandr Fisher