The Backfire Effect: Does it exist? And does itmatter for factcheckers?

A “backfire effect” refers to the effect that, when a factual claim reinforces someone’s ideological beliefs, telling them that the claim is wrong (“debunking” it) can actually make them believe the claim more strongly rather than less.
This supposed effect is often interpreted as meaning that factchecking is ineffective, or even counterproductive.
This briefing looks at seven major experimental studies that have examined supposed backfire effects, mostly in the United States.
It finds that while backfire may occur in some cases, the evidence now suggests it is rare rather than the norm, and that generally debunking can make people’s beliefs in specific claims more accurate.