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Do People Demand Fact-Checked News? Evidence From U.S. Democrats

Author

Listed:
  • Felix Chopra

    (University of Bonn)

  • Ingar Haaland

    (University of Bergen and CESifo)

  • Christopher Roth

    (University of Cologne, ECONtribute, C-SEB, briq, CESifo, CEPR, CAGE)

Abstract
In a large-scale online experiment with U.S. Democrats, we examine how the demand for a newsletter about an economic relief plan changes when the newsletter content is fact-checked. We first document an overall muted demand for factchecking when the newsletter features stories from an ideologically aligned source, even though fact-checking increases the perceived accuracy of the newsletter. The average impact of fact-checking masks substantial heterogeneity by ideology: fact-checking reduces demand among Democrats with strong ideological views and increases demand among ideologically moderate Democrats. Furthermore, fact-checking increases demand among all Democrats when the newsletter features stories from an ideologically non-aligned source.

Suggested Citation

  • Felix Chopra & Ingar Haaland & Christopher Roth, 2021. "Do People Demand Fact-Checked News? Evidence From U.S. Democrats," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 121, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:121
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Heiner Mikosch & Christopher Roth & Samad Sarferaz & Johannes Wohlfart, 2024. "Uncertainty and Information Acquisition: Evidence from Firms and Households," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 16(2), pages 375-405, April.
    2. Hassan Afrouzi & Carolina Arteaga & Emily Weisburst, 2022. "Can Leaders Persuade? Examining Movement in Immigration Beliefs," CESifo Working Paper Series 9593, CESifo.
    3. Tiziana Assenza & Alberto Cardaci & Stefanie J. Huber, 2024. "Fake News: Susceptibility, Awareness and Solutions," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 290, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    4. Francesco Capozza & Ingar Haaland & Christopher Roth & Johannes Wohlfart, 2021. "Studying Information Acquisition in the Field: A Practical Guide and Review," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 124, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    5. Choi, Syngjoo & Choi, Chung-Yoon & Kim, Seonghoon, 2023. "Tackling misperceptions about immigrants with fact-checking interventions: A randomized survey experiment," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    6. Assenza, Tiziana, 2021. "The Ability to 'Distill the Truth'," TSE Working Papers 21-1280, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Mar 2022.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fact-checking; News Demand; Information; Media Bias; Belief Polarization;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • L82 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Entertainment; Media

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