how to combat misinformation on vaccines and other public health issues
TRANSCRIPT
A PR I L . 1 5 . 2 0 1 5
HOW TO COMBATMISINFORMATION
ON VACCINES & OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES
WILLAM D. LEACH, PHDSOL PRICE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
USC Provost ProfessorNorbert Schwarz studies thepsychology of metacognition– meaning our thoughts aboutwhat we think and why – andit's application to harmfulmisconceptions about healthand wellbeing.
Drawing upon a decade of research, this presentation reviews whystandard mythbusting campaigns backfire, and what we should doinstead to combat harmful health myths while communicatingaccurate health information.
Truth-Testing HeuristicsPeople are more likely to believe new information if it satisfiesfive metacognitive criteria:
1. Compatibility: Is it compatible with other things I know?2. Coherence: Is it an internally coherent and plausible story?3. Credibility: Does it come from a credible source?4. Corroboration: Is there a lot of supporting evidence?5. Consensus: Do others believe this?
Eight Communication Strategies forEffective Public Health Campaigns
Takehome messages from research on metacognition aresummarized in the following eight communication strategies.
#1Do not repeat misinformation.
“False information is better left alone. Anyattempt to explicitly discredit false information
necessarily involves a repetition of the falseinformation, which may contribute to its later
familiarity and acceptance” (Schwarz et al. 2007).Therefore, to fight misinformation on vaccines, itis best to ignore the misinformants, and instead
focus on communicating the risks of preventableinfections and the benefits of vaccination.
#2Repeat “true facts” often.
Repetition increases familiarity and implies that aclaim is widely accepted. Ideally, multiple crediblesources should repeat the same information, but
failing that, simply having the same authority repeatthe same message increases perceptions of
consensus and veracity (Schwarz 2015).
#3Enlist credible sources.
Heuristic #3 highlights the importance of credibility.However, highly credible sources should be especiallycareful not to repeat a myth. People may later associate
the myth with the credible source, but forget that theinformation is untrue.
#4Lead with a disclaimer.
If misinformation must be repeated, explicitly warn theaudience ahead of time that they are about to hear something
that merits skepticism. The best protection against harmfulhealth misconceptions is suspicion when you first hear it. Forexample, the FDA requires that labels for dietary supplements
include the disclaimer, “This product is not intended todiagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” Moving this
message to the top of label and the beginning of radioadvertisements would enhance its impact.
#5Emphasize consensuson the true information.
Heuristic #5 implies one should emphasize consensuson true information and avoid signaling consensus onfalse information. News reports on health myths, such
as the unfounded link between childhood vaccinesand autism, unavoidably normalize mistaken beliefs
by suggesting they are commonly held.
#6Make the message simple,
brief, and memorable.Simple fonts, clear language, brevity, and white space on
the page help the audience feel as though they understandthe message effortlessly. Rhymes, jingles, mnemonics,and visuals make a message memorable. “If the myth is
simpler and more compelling than your debunking, it willbe cognitively more attractive” (Lewandowsky et al. 2012).
#7Affirm the audience's worldview.
People rarely accept new information that contradicts theirexisting beliefs. To soften resistance, validate the audience’sbasic values. For example, people who fear childhood vaccination and distrust the government or the pharmaceuticalindustry might be more receptive to vaccine information
from an independent nonprofit organization dedicated tochildren’s health, especially if vaccination is framed as avoluntary action taken by thoughtful parents who have
thoroughly investigated the pros and potential cons.
#8Nudge toward better decisions.
Policymakers can often design “choice architecture” so thatpeople automatically gravitate toward the preferred decision.A promising example from behavioral economics is the use of
defaults . For example, many people never skip a sixmonth dentalcheckup, largely because dental offices always schedule your
next visit before you leave the office. If family physicians routinelycalendared their patients’ annual flu vaccine, vaccination rates
might rise accordingly. Flipping the default choice would improvepublic health without altering patients’ basic options and without
confronting misinformation about vaccines.
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