Science and Health Misinformation in the Digital Age

Following PPF's 2020 report, Science Disinformation in a Time of Pandemic, PPF renews the project to continue the conversation with 2021's new initiative, Responding to Science Disinformation. In this report, fellow Peter Loewen and Eric Merkley consider the ways in which technology has impacted the spread of misinformation throughout the public, and how and in what ways policy makers can challenge misinformation without stifling free speech and freedom of expression.

executive summary

Misinformation on science, technology and public health poses serious challenges to society, a situation magnified by rapid advancement in communications technology and development of online social networks. As enabling as these developments have been for the sharing and dissemination of credible information, the same is true of misinformation — and there is no silver bullet to address it.

Misinformation comes from a variety of sources, exploiting the tendency of many to fail to evaluate the veracity of information they are receiving and to prefer information aligned with their political beliefs. If it were benign, the prevalence of misinformation — and, similarly, fake news — could be dismissed, but exposure to misinformation is a cause of misperceptions among the general public that shape how people act politically. Nowhere is that truer than in the context of public health. Misinformation has been particularly problematic in science, technology and health policy. It preys on people’s predisposition to have strong, intuitive reactions to scientific advances, while having little knowledge base to accurately distinguish facts from falsehoods. Fueled by misinformation, many people endorse science-related beliefs that run counter to established scientific consensus, and they are less likely to heed the advice of scientists and medical experts as a result.

While the proliferation of misinformation and fake news appears low, there is little data that tracks its exposure and consumption. This report looks to answer three questions related to science communication and misinformation — How is misinformation spread? Who is most likely to fall prey to misinformation? How do we combat misinformation and its effects? — in part by highlighting case studies on climate change, vaccines and COVID-19.

Broadly speaking, there are three approaches to this problem: controlling its spread; correcting its effects through debunking (fact-checking) or persuasion; and pre-emptive interventions that allow the public to resist misinformation they encounter. With this in mind, five recommendations are presented:

Track misinformation and debunk when needed;
Promote accuracy-focused messaging;
Invest in targeted persuasion focusing on downstream behaviours;
Build relationships with trusted community leaders;
Start early to create digital literacy and interest in science.

When taken in concert, these recommendations have the potential to mitigate the consequences of misinformation in science and public health.

Science And Heath Misinformation In The Digital Age

Read the Report

About the Authors

Eric Merkley and Peter Loewen

Eric Merkley (PhD, UBC) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He was the lead survey analyst of the Media Ecosystem Observatory, which studied the Canadian information ecosystem and public opinion during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Digital Democracy Project, which studied misinformation and public attitudes during the 2019 Canadian federal election. His research focuses on the link between political elite behaviour, the news media, and public opinion. In particular, he is interested in the social-psychological and elite sources of public resistance to expert advice and scientific consensus. He has published in leading political and general science journals such as the American Political Science Review, Nature Human Behaviour, the British Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Public Opinion Quarterly, and Political Communication, among others. He is currently working on a book project related to political polarization in Canada.

Peter Loewen is a Professor in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He also serves as Associate Director for Global Engagement at the Munk School. He is interested in how politicians can make better decisions, in how citizens can make better choices, how governments can address the disruption of technology and harness its opportunities, and the politics of COVID-19.He has published in leading journals of political science, economics, psychology, biology, and general science, as well as popular press work in the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Globe and Mail, National Post, and Ottawa Citizen. His research has been funded by SSHRC, the European Research Council, the Government of Ontario, and other organizations. He regularly engages in public debate and acts as a consultant to several public and private organizations.Previously, he served as the Director of the School of Public Policy & Governance and the Centre for the Study of the United States at the Munk School of Global Affairs. He is a distinguished visitor at Tel Aviv University, and was previously a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He has held visiting positions at Princeton University and the University of Melbourne.