Backfire Effect

What is the backfire effect?

A backfire effect occurs when a correction increases belief in the misinformation it is intended to correct. This is stronger than merely refusing to change one’s mind, and it should not be assumed whenever a person disagrees with evidence.

Backfire effect example

Suppose someone rates a false claim as more believable after reading a correction than before. That increase would count as backfire. Remaining equally convinced would not.

How common is it?

Nyhan and Reifler reported some backfire effects in political-correction experiments. Later, Wood and Porter tested 52 issues across five experiments with more than 10,100 participants and found no corrections that produced backfire. Backfire is not a dependable rule of persuasion.

Should you correct misinformation?

Corrections can improve factual accuracy without changing every related attitude or producing permanent belief change. Do not withhold an accurate correction just because you assume it will make the false belief stronger. That assumption does not hold up well in these experiments.

Sources: When Corrections Fail: The Persistence of Political Misperceptions; The Elusive Backfire Effect: Mass Attitudes’ Steadfast Factual Adherence.