Research shows when processing misinformation, British voters divide along party lines, not Brexit

Political affiliation could be a greater influence on British voters than their stand on Brexit, especially amid potential misinformation, according to a recent study by the University of Bristol and the University of Western Australia.

According to a University of Bristol news release, the study demonstrated how individuals’ attitudes were shaped by fact checks of misinformation. It examined how this may be affected by a person’s position on Brexit and whether the misinformation was beneficial to their party. 

Robert Reason, co-lead author of the study who is pursuing a master’s in psychology at Bristol, discussed some of the findings.

“While polarization was found to be more apparent along party lines, our findings demonstrate that participants could still update their beliefs when presented with correcting information and they were not simply overwhelmed by their own motivated reasoning,” he said in the release.

Indeed, the study took this into consideration, with participants from an adult population in the United Kingdom, and politicians selected to both party (Tory vs. Labour) and Brexit position (Remain vs Leave in each party). 

The university news release also reported that individuals were often open to the information they found about politicians’ comments, and they were more likely to believe accurate comments after they were told they were truthful. 

Conversely, voters had less faith in false statements after learning they were false, according to the university, and this occurred regardless of political party or Brexit position. Brexit position, according to the release, had less impact on the decisions by voters and politicians, suggesting that party affiliation has a bigger impact on that process.

Moreover, the news release also noted that the British public has failed to get behind Brexit as strongly as it rallies behind party ties. Researchers pointed out that partisan rifts can be stronger as they span a range of views on many topics, from education, income inequality, employment and the political process.

“These results affirm the effectiveness of fact-checks for correcting political misinformation,” said co-lead author Toby Prike, from the University of Western Australia. “Additionally, politicians were punished for spreading misinformation, with participants judging them as less accurate, and also having reduced voting intentions and more negative attitudes toward them.”

Bristol University noted in its release that researchers found voters could actually identify with a political party than on their position on Brexit, and fact-checking can be an effective measure in reversing political misinformation.

The study further shows why it is vital for politicians to be forthright in their comments, with voters less likely to back those who are prone to making false statements, even if they are members of their favored party.