Work

Does fake news affect voting behaviour?

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: We study the impact of fake news on votes for populist parties in the Italian elections of 2018. Our empirical strategy exploits the historical variation in Italian-speaking and German-speaking voters in the Italian region of Trentino Alto-Adige/Südtirol as an exogenous source of assignment to fake news exposure. Using municipal data, we compare the effect of exposure to fake news on the vote for populist parties in the 2013 and 2018 elections. To do so, we introduce a novel indicator of populism using text mining on the Facebook posts of Italian parties before the elections. Our findings support the view that exposure to fake news favours populist parties regardless of prior support for populist parties, but also that fake news alone cannot explain most of the growth in populism.

Source: Research Policy

DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2022.104628

Authors: Michele Cantarella, Nicolò Fraccaroli, Roberto Volpe

Institutions: University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, University of Helsinki, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Brown University, Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli

Language: English

Topic: Misinformation and Its Impacts

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,270