Abstract
Nyhan and Reifler (2010, 2015) document a “backfire effect,” wherein attempts to correct factual misperceptions increase the prevalence of false beliefs. These results are widely cited both in and outside of political science. In this research note, I report the results of a replication of Nyhan and Reifler’s (2015) flu vaccine study that was embedded in a larger study about flu vaccines. The backfire effect was not replicated in my experiment. The main replication result suggests the need for additional studies to verify the backfire effect and identify conditions under which it occurs.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Research and Politics |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1 2017 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This publication was made possible (in part) by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2017.
Keywords
- Backfire effect
- Misperception
- Replication
- Vaccine
