Data and Code for: Checking and Sharing Alt-Facts

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Emeric Henry, Sciences Po, Paris; Ekaterina Zhuravskaya, Paris School of Economics; Sergei Guriev, Sciences Po, Paris

Version:  View help for Version V1

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Project Citation: 

Henry, Emeric, Zhuravskaya, Ekaterina, and Guriev, Sergei. Data and Code for: Checking and Sharing Alt-Facts. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2022. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2022-07-26. https://doi.org/10.3886/E140161V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary Using an online randomized experiment in the context of the 2019 European elections campaign in France, we study how fact-checking affects sharing of false news on social media. We exposed a random sample of French voting-age Facebook users to statements on the role of the European Union made by the far-right populist party Rassemblement National. A randomly selected subgroup of participants was also presented with fact-checking of these statements; another subgroup was offered a choice whether to view the fact-checking information. Then, all participants could choose whether to share the false statements on their Facebook pages. We show that (i) both imposed and voluntary fact-checking reduce sharing of false statements by about 45%; (ii) the size of the effect is similar between imposed and voluntary fact-checking; and (iii) each additional click required to share false statements substantially reduces sharing. These results inform the debate about policy proposals aimed at limiting propagation of false news on social media.

Funding Sources:  View help for Funding Sources Sciences Po’s Scientific Advisory Board

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms alternative facts; fact-checking; sharing on social media; fake news; Facebook
JEL Classification:  View help for JEL Classification
      D80 Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty: General
      D91 Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage France
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 5/20/2019 – 5/28/2019 (May 2019)
Collection Date(s):  View help for Collection Date(s) 5/20/2019 – 5/28/2019 (May 2019)
Universe:  View help for Universe French voting-age Facebook users
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) experimental data; observational data; survey data

Methodology

Data Source:  View help for Data Source original data created by authors in an online randomized controlled trial
Unit(s) of Observation:  View help for Unit(s) of Observation Individual voting-age Facebook users
Geographic Unit:  View help for Geographic Unit France

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Published Versions

V1 [2022-07-26]

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