There is a large body of evidence (along with personal anecdotes) that getting people to change beliefs is very difficult. Studies have found that providing people with contradictory evidence can make them even more confident in their views. Given these challenges, how should we go about reducing misinformation in the world?
One in-progress study is looking at teaching primary school students in Uganda how to evaluate health claims as well as the evidence they are based on. While I had previously thought that a basic understanding of statistics was our best option, this kind of education is more clearly and directly related to the goal. It will be interesting to see what the results of the study end up being, particularly if we eventually find that learning in one area spills over to increase scientific literacy in general.
One in-progress study is looking at teaching primary school students in Uganda how to evaluate health claims as well as the evidence they are based on. While I had previously thought that a basic understanding of statistics was our best option, this kind of education is more clearly and directly related to the goal. It will be interesting to see what the results of the study end up being, particularly if we eventually find that learning in one area spills over to increase scientific literacy in general.
