Loneliness and Susceptibility to Partisan Misperceptions

• In Event: The Foundations of Political Misinformation

Abstract

The omnipresence of misinformation has been linked to severe political consequences such as extreme polarization and the erosion of trust in political institutions. However, studies are yet uncovering who is most vulnerable to misinformation and the conditions shaping beliefs in false information. With the COVID-19 epidemic creating increasing number of lonely individuals, this study investigates the moderating effect of loneliness on belief in partisan falsehoods depicted in actual campaign advertisements and political messages on social media. This study employs a novel treatment of eliciting loneliness from visual and textual stimuli. Results from the online survey contributes to existing studies on the effects of negative emotion and well-being on susceptibility to partisan falsehoods.

Author

• Suhyen Bae, Duke University