A Credibility Divide? Discerning Truth From Misinformation in Chile

Abstract

Studies on misinformation often overlook people’s assessment of true information, focusing instead on beliefs in and sharing of false content. This is problematic, as it limits scholars’ ability to produce an accurate assessment of citizens’ capacity to distinguish between true and false content. To shed light on this matter, this study relies on a two-wave online survey (Nrespondents = 465) to examine people’s truth discernment, that is, how much they believe and share true content relative to false content. It does so in Chile over two different crises: after the 2019 protests (Wave 1, November 2019), and at the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic (Wave 2, May–June 2020). While true information was deemed credible more often than false information, discernment tended to be better for those who had a better perception of traditional media content and those more politically engaged. Conversely, credibility and sharing of false content tended to be more common with younger people and those with high levels of trust in social media. Over time, levels of credibility and sharing discernment remained stable.