Research Findings

Detailed debunking messages are more effective than just labeling something as wrong, and debunking is more effective when an audience is engaged in helping to correct a message, according to a meta-analysis in Psychological Science.
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Many Americans are poorly informed about basic constitutional provisions, according to APPC’s Constitution Day Civics Survey. It finds that 37% can’t name any of the rights under the First Amendment and only 26% can name all three branches of government.
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A popular theory in recent neuroscience proposes that slow development of the prefrontal cortex explains teenagers’ seemingly impulsive and risky behavior. An extensive literature review challenges that interpretation.
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How can the public’s confidence in science be strengthened? A new study finding that public confidence in science spiked following coverage of the Zika vaccine trial in 2016 suggests a way to improve trust in science on a more sustained basis.
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An experimental study of the effect of humor and video in fact-checking finds that both funny and non-humorous videos were more interesting and understandable than a comparable textual fact-checking story.
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A study of the Pope’s encyclical on climate change conducted by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center has been featured as a “research highlight” by the journal Nature Climate Change.
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