Study Confirms Effectiveness of Prebunking and Debunking in Fighting Misinformation

Misinformation—false information shared unintentionally—poses significant threats to society, from hampering climate change action to endangering public health through vaccine hesitancy. When spread deliberately (disinformation) or through coordinated foreign efforts, it can undermine democratic processes, including elections.

A groundbreaking study led by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and recently published in Nature has confirmed that both prebunking and debunking strategies effectively counter false information. The research, which involved over 5,000 participants from Germany, Greece, Ireland, and Poland, demonstrated that these approaches can reduce agreement with false claims, lower their perceived credibility, and decrease the likelihood of sharing misinformation.

Debunking involves directly refuting false information and presenting accurate facts, while prebunking warns audiences in advance about potential manipulation attempts or common misleading tactics. The study found that while both strategies work, debunking holds a slight edge over prebunking in effectiveness.

“Debunking appears more effective likely because it addresses specific misinformation with concrete evidence,” explained one of the researchers involved in the study. “Prebunking, which merely alerts about misleading strategies, may sometimes be perceived as less relevant or potentially manipulative.”

The research also explored how the source of information affects intervention effectiveness. Interestingly, when a public authority was revealed as the source of the debunking material, results varied based on participants’ existing trust levels. Those who trusted public authorities responded more positively to official debunks, showing greater reductions in credibility ratings and agreement with misleading content.

However, the findings revealed a concerning trend: for individuals with low trust in authorities, official debunking efforts sometimes backfired, actually increasing the perceived credibility of misinformation. This suggests that standardized approaches may not work for everyone.

“These results highlight the need for more tailored and targeted strategies,” noted a spokesperson from the European Commission. “For example, when addressing health-related misinformation, engaging healthcare professionals who typically enjoy high public trust may prove more effective than communications from government institutions.”

The study represents a significant contribution to the field by focusing on European participants, whereas previous research had primarily drawn from U.S. samples. This European perspective provides valuable insights for addressing misinformation challenges specific to the region’s cultural and political landscape.

The research builds upon the European Union’s extensive work in countering disinformation. The EU has established initiatives like EU vs Disinfo, an online platform dedicated to increasing public awareness and countering pro-Kremlin disinformation. Similarly, the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and its regional hubs monitor and expose disinformation campaigns while promoting media literacy.

EDMO played a particularly critical role during the recent European Parliament elections by bringing together independent fact-checkers, media literacy experts, and academic researchers to analyze disinformation in collaboration with media organizations and online platforms.

To enhance the effectiveness of official communications, the JRC has published a Trustworthy Public Communications report with recommendations for public institutions. These include acknowledging public concerns before developing policy solutions and crafting messages that resonate across different segments of society.

The Commission emphasizes that evidence-based policymaking remains central to its approach. As one Commission official put it: “Good evidence drives good policy, and good policy drives trust. Ultimately, trust underpins our democratic institutions and European values.”

As misinformation continues to evolve with new technologies and distribution channels, this research provides timely insights for developing more effective countermeasures tailored to diverse audiences, particularly in the European context.