Does the Source of Inoculation Matter? Testing the Effects of Inoculation Source on Resistance to Climate Misinformation on Social Media

Abstract

While inoculation has shown promise in combating misinformation, the influence of the source of these inoculation messages remains underexplored. Guided by inoculation theory and source credibility theory, this study conducted an online experiment (N = 632) to assess the impact of inoculation sources (expert vs. common user vs. no inoculation vs. control group) on resistance to climate change misinformation on social media. Results showed that individuals exposed to inoculation from an expert source perceived a higher threat from misinformation, generated more counterarguments, and were less likely to believe in climate change misinformation compared to those exposed to inoculation from a common user. These findings extend the theoretical understanding of the impact of source credibility of inoculation messages, while also providing practical insights into enhancing the effectiveness of inoculation messages by increasing their source credibility.