Politics & Polls #234: Why People Believe Falsehoods (From Vaccines to Votes)

May 27 2021
By B. Rose Huber
Topics Politics
Source Princeton School of Public and International Affairs

We're living in a political disinformation era. Public opinion is sharply divided not just on the facts, but what actually constitutes fact or fiction. Two issues have made this dilemma crystal clear: the acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines and the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

In this episode, Julian and Sam weed through the neuroscience of the brain and what makes people hold on to beliefs that may be factually inaccurate. They discuss the general distrust of institutions and how beliefs spread in our speedy social media ecosystem.