Trusting the Facts: The Role of Framing, News Media as a (Trusted) Source, and Opinion Resonance for Perceived Truth in Statistical Statements

Elina Lindgren; Torun Lindholm; Rens Vliegenthart; Hajo G. Boomgaarden; Alyt Damstra; Jesper Strömbäck; Yariv Tsfati

doi:10.1177/10776990221117117

Trusting the Facts: The Role of Framing, News Media as a (Trusted) Source, and Opinion Resonance for Perceived Truth in Statistical Statements

Elina Lindgren, Torun Lindholm, Rens Vliegenthart, Hajo G. Boomgaarden, Alyt Damstra, Jesper Strömbäck, Yariv Tsfati

Department of Communication

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Scholars have raised concerns that on many issues, citizens are reluctant to trust factual evidence and statistics. One factor that has been shown to impact the perceived truth in statistics is how they are presented, where negatively framed statistics are perceived as truer than positive. This study explores when this bias applies and not. Results from a survey experiment confirm the presence of a negativity bias in truth perceptions, but also that effects are heterogeneous and moderated by, in particular, the recipients’ preexisting opinions. These findings provide valuable information to public actors responsible for disseminating factual information to diverse publics.

Original language	English
Journal	Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/10776990221117117
State	Published - 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 AEJMC.

Keywords

equivalence framing
media trust
negativity bias
opinion resonance
perceived truth in statistical statements

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Communication

Access to Document

10.1177/10776990221117117

Cite this

@article{ebeaf22b9e7a4b468e331acf1dde9d69,

title = "Trusting the Facts: The Role of Framing, News Media as a (Trusted) Source, and Opinion Resonance for Perceived Truth in Statistical Statements",

abstract = "Scholars have raised concerns that on many issues, citizens are reluctant to trust factual evidence and statistics. One factor that has been shown to impact the perceived truth in statistics is how they are presented, where negatively framed statistics are perceived as truer than positive. This study explores when this bias applies and not. Results from a survey experiment confirm the presence of a negativity bias in truth perceptions, but also that effects are heterogeneous and moderated by, in particular, the recipients{\textquoteright} preexisting opinions. These findings provide valuable information to public actors responsible for disseminating factual information to diverse publics.",

keywords = "equivalence framing, media trust, negativity bias, opinion resonance, perceived truth in statistical statements",

author = "Elina Lindgren and Torun Lindholm and Rens Vliegenthart and Boomgaarden, {Hajo G.} and Alyt Damstra and Jesper Str{\"o}mb{\"a}ck and Yariv Tsfati",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 AEJMC.",

year = "2022",

doi = "10.1177/10776990221117117",

language = "English",

journal = "Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly",

issn = "1077-6990",

publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Trusting the Facts

T2 - The Role of Framing, News Media as a (Trusted) Source, and Opinion Resonance for Perceived Truth in Statistical Statements

AU - Lindgren, Elina

AU - Lindholm, Torun

AU - Vliegenthart, Rens

AU - Boomgaarden, Hajo G.

AU - Damstra, Alyt

AU - Strömbäck, Jesper

AU - Tsfati, Yariv

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Scholars have raised concerns that on many issues, citizens are reluctant to trust factual evidence and statistics. One factor that has been shown to impact the perceived truth in statistics is how they are presented, where negatively framed statistics are perceived as truer than positive. This study explores when this bias applies and not. Results from a survey experiment confirm the presence of a negativity bias in truth perceptions, but also that effects are heterogeneous and moderated by, in particular, the recipients’ preexisting opinions. These findings provide valuable information to public actors responsible for disseminating factual information to diverse publics.

AB - Scholars have raised concerns that on many issues, citizens are reluctant to trust factual evidence and statistics. One factor that has been shown to impact the perceived truth in statistics is how they are presented, where negatively framed statistics are perceived as truer than positive. This study explores when this bias applies and not. Results from a survey experiment confirm the presence of a negativity bias in truth perceptions, but also that effects are heterogeneous and moderated by, in particular, the recipients’ preexisting opinions. These findings provide valuable information to public actors responsible for disseminating factual information to diverse publics.

KW - equivalence framing

KW - media trust

KW - negativity bias

KW - opinion resonance

KW - perceived truth in statistical statements

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136548419&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/10776990221117117

DO - 10.1177/10776990221117117

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85136548419

SN - 1077-6990

JO - Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

JF - Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

ER -

Trusting the Facts: The Role of Framing, News Media as a (Trusted) Source, and Opinion Resonance for Perceived Truth in Statistical Statements

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this