New research finds that “prebunking”—providing accurate information before false claims spread—boosts trust in elections more effectively than traditional fact-checking.
In recent years, democracies worldwide have seen a growing erosion of trust in election outcomes and institutions, driven in part by fears of widespread fraud.
As the digital age continues to transform the ways in which people consume information, online election misinformation has expanded at an unprecedented pace. Amplified by highly polarized political climates, this trend poses a significant threat to public confidence in democratic electoral systems.
For the new work, researchers conducted three large-scale case studies using results from elections in the United States and Brazil—two countries where fraud misinformation has undermined trust in elections.
The studies found that prebunking messages were consistently effective, especially among individuals who were previously misinformed. However, the research also found that adding forewarnings—alerting people they might be misled—can reduce the effectiveness of prebunking.
“This research shows that facts, when delivered plainly and ahead of misinformation, can minimize the effect of inaccurate information,” says Brian Fogarty, associate professor of the practice at the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society at the University of Notre Dame and a coauthor of the study.
“But, when we warn people that they might be misled, especially in a highly...
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