Replication Data for: The Religious Roots of Belief in Misinformation: Experimental Evidence from India

Misinformation has emerged as a key threat worldwide, with scholars frequently highlighting the role of partisan motivated reasoning in misinformation belief. Yet the mechanisms enabling the endorsement of misinformation may differ in contexts where other identities are salient. This study explores whether religion drives the endorsement of misinformation in India. Using original data, we first show that individuals with high levels of religiosity and religious polarization endorse significantly higher levels of misinformation. Next, to understand the causal mechanisms through which religion operates, we field an experiment where corrections rely on religious messaging, and/or manipulate perceptions of religious ingroup identity. We find that corrections including religious frames (1) reduce the endorsement of misinformation; (2) are sometimes more effective than standard corrections; and (3) work beyond the specific story corrected. These findings highlight the religious roots of belief formation and provide hope that social identities can be marshaled to counter misinformation.虚假信息已成为全球范围内的重大威胁，学者们多次指出党派动机性推理（partisan motivated reasoning）在个体接受虚假信息过程中的关键作用。然而，当其他社会身份凸显时，推动个体认同虚假信息的机制或存在差异。本研究以印度为研究场景，探究宗教是否会驱动个体对虚假信息的认同。我们首先通过一手原始数据证实：宗教虔诚度（religiosity）与宗教极化（religious polarization）程度较高的个体，其虚假信息认同水平显著更高。随后，为厘清宗教发挥作用的因果机制，我们开展了一项田野实验，实验中辟谣信息依托宗教叙事展开，并/或对个体的宗教内群体身份（religious ingroup identity）认知进行操控。研究结果显示，搭载宗教叙事框架的辟谣信息可实现三方面效果：其一，有效降低个体对虚假信息的认同；其二，在部分场景中比标准辟谣方式更为有效；其三，其作用效果不限于被纠正的特定虚假信息内容。本研究结果揭示了信仰形成过程中的宗教根源，同时为借助社会身份力量对抗虚假信息提供了可行路径与希望。