Episode 029: Changing Minds in a Polarized World with David McRaney
The Decision Education Podcast
The Backfire Effect: Facts may not change attitudes
Facts may not always change attitudes as assumed. The backfire effect, once thought to entrench beliefs further when corrected, has been found to be more nuanced. While correcting people with facts can be effective in providing information, it might not necessarily alter their attitudes. People can update their factual beliefs when presented with evidence, but this does not impact the reasons behind their original beliefs. In certain cases, confronting individuals with evidence can strengthen their existing attitudes, as the facts were justifications rather than reasons behind their beliefs. Thus, the backfire effect highlights that correcting individuals with facts may not always lead to attitude change and can sometimes strengthen their beliefs instead.
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