Replication Data for: Countering Misinformation Early: Evidence from a Classroom-Based Field Experiment in India

Misinformation poses serious risks for democratic governance, conflict, and health. This study evaluates whether sustained, classroom-based education against misinformation can equip schoolchildren to become more discerning consumers of information. Partnering with a state government agency in Bihar, India, we conducted a field experiment in 583 villages with 13,500 students, using a 4-month curriculum designed to build skills, shift norms, and enhance knowledge about health misinformation. Intent-to-treat estimates demonstrate that treated respondents were significantly better at discerning true from false information, altered their health preferences, relied more on science, and reduced their dependence on unreliable news sources. We resurveyed participants 4 months post-intervention and found that effects persisted, as well as extended to political misinformation. Finally, we observe within-household treatment diffusion, with parents of treated students becoming more adept at discerning information. As many countries seek long-term solutions to combat misinformation, these findings highlight the promise of sustained classroom-based education.

虚假信息对民主治理、社会冲突及公共卫生均构成严重威胁。本研究旨在评估基于课堂的持续性反虚假信息教育，能否帮助学龄儿童成长为更具辨别力的信息消费者。本研究与印度比哈尔邦的一家州政府机构合作，在583个村庄的13500名学生中开展了田野实验（field experiment），采用为期4个月的课程体系，旨在培养信息辨别技能、重塑认知规范并提升受众对健康类虚假信息的辨识知识储备。意向治疗分析（intent-to-treat, ITT）结果显示，接受干预的研究对象能够更精准地辨别真伪信息，改变了自身的健康偏好，更依赖科学依据，并减少了对不可靠新闻来源的依赖。我们在干预结束4个月后对参与者进行了回访，发现干预效果不仅持续存在，还延伸至政治类虚假信息的辨别领域。此外，我们还观测到干预效果在家庭内部的扩散：接受干预的学生家长，其信息辨别能力也得到了提升。在多国均寻求打击虚假信息的长效解决方案的当下，本研究结果凸显了持续性课堂反虚假信息教育的应用前景。