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Social Proximity and Misinformation: Experimental Evidence from a Mobile Phone-Based Campaign in India

Author

Listed:
  • Armand, Alex
  • Augsburg, Britta
  • Bancalari, Antonella
  • Kameshwara, Kalyan Kumar

Abstract

We study how social proximity between the sender and the receiver of information shapes the effectiveness of preventive health behaviour campaigns and the persistence of misinformation. We implement a field experiment among a representative sample of slum residents in two major Indian cities characterized by Hindu-Muslim tensions. We show that informative messages are effective at improving evidence-based behavior, but not non-evidence-based behavior. These findings do not differ by social proximity, signalled by religion. However, when sender and receiver share the same religion, the intervention significantly reduces misinformation carrying in-group salience, highlighting the role of social proximity in fighting misinformation.

Suggested Citation

  • Armand, Alex & Augsburg, Britta & Bancalari, Antonella & Kameshwara, Kalyan Kumar, 2022. "Social Proximity and Misinformation: Experimental Evidence from a Mobile Phone-Based Campaign in India," CEPR Discussion Papers 16492, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:16492
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Misinformation; Religion; Identity; Social proximity; India; Social media; Covid-19; Randomized field experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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