The research, led by the University of Bristol and University of Western Australia, explored how people's views and attitudes were influenced by fact-checks of political misinformation, and whether this differed depending on whether the misinformation supported their party and also if they shared the same stance on a big issue, namely Brexit. 

The participants were an adult sample of the UK population, and the politicians were chosen to balance both party (Tory vs Labour) and Brexit position (Remainer vs Leaver in each party). 

The findings showed that overall, people were receptive to information they received about politicians’ statements. They believed accurate statements more after being told they were true, and they reduced belief in false statements after being told they were false. This occurred regardless of whether people shared the politicians’ party or their Brexit position. People also were less likely to vote for politicians who made multiple false statements, especially when they were from their preferred party. 

Read the full University of Bristol news item

Prike T, Reason R, Ecker UKH et al. (2023). Would I lie to you? Party affiliation is more important than Brexit in processing political misinformation. Royal Society Open Science.