Trusting the Facts: The Role of Framing, News Media as a (Trusted) Source, and Opinion Resonance for Perceived Truth in Statistical StatementsShow others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, ISSN 1077-6990, E-ISSN 2161-430X, Vol. 101, no 4, p. 981-1004Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
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.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Sage Publications, 2024. Vol. 101, no 4, p. 981-1004
Keywords [en]
equivalence framing, perceived truth in statistical statements, negativity bias, media trust, opinion resonance
National Category
Media and Communication Studies Political Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-104900DOI: 10.1177/10776990221117117ISI: 000841972500001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85136548419OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kau-104900DiVA, id: diva2:1965819
2025-06-092025-06-092026-02-12Bibliographically approved