Educational Orientation, Actively Open-Minded Thinking, and Democratic Ideals in the Assessment of News Credibility
Year: 2024
Type: preprint
Abstract: PurposeThis study examines how educational orientation, actively open-minded thinking (AOT), and democratic ideals relate to misinformation discernment in an era of misleading media content.MethodologyIn an online survey, nationally representative adults (n=3060) and university students (n=1097) completed measures assessing misinformation discernment, AOT, democratic ideals, and information literacy.FindingsHigher education improves misinformation discernment, though no differences emerged across academic disciplines. AOT, especially low dogmatism and fact resistance, strongly predicts misinformation resilience. Democratic ideals, emphasizing representation and expertise, enhance discernment, while participatory ideals show weaker links. Self-rated information literacy correlates with better discernment, yet advanced techniques like lateral reading and reverse image search remain rare. Political orientation influences outcomes, with Green-voting individuals performing better and right-wing Sweden Democrats worse.ImplicationsThe findings emphasize the need to integrate critical thinking, democratic education, and digital fact-checking skills into curricula across disciplines, strengthening actively open-minded thinking and fostering nuanced democratic perspectives.
Authors: Thomas Nygren, Maria Rasmusson, Malin Tväråna, Artur Nilsson, Sander van der Linden
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W7085575587