The interplay between progressivism and logical fallacy: implications for climate change communications

The spread of fake news and the influence of moral reasoning on public opinion present significant challenges in climate change communication. This study examines how the ideological underpinnings of conservatism and liberalism, combined with logical fallacies and fake news, shape public perceptions...

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Main Authors: Mehmet Özer Demir, Zuhal Gök Demir, Fulya Erendağ Sümer, Çiğdem Karakaya, Hediye Aydoğan, Burak Arslan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Environmental Research Communications
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adf497
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author Mehmet Özer Demir
Zuhal Gök Demir
Fulya Erendağ Sümer
Çiğdem Karakaya
Hediye Aydoğan
Burak Arslan
author_facet Mehmet Özer Demir
Zuhal Gök Demir
Fulya Erendağ Sümer
Çiğdem Karakaya
Hediye Aydoğan
Burak Arslan
author_sort Mehmet Özer Demir
collection DOAJ
description The spread of fake news and the influence of moral reasoning on public opinion present significant challenges in climate change communication. This study examines how the ideological underpinnings of conservatism and liberalism, combined with logical fallacies and fake news, shape public perceptions of climate change. Using the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ), and a quantitative online survey of 288 participants, we assess whether individuals identified as liberal or conservative are more prone to accept flawed reasoning. Results show that conservatives are significantly more susceptible to a broader range of logical fallacies, including emotional manipulation, appeals to authority, and oversimplified arguments—patterns commonly associated with fallacies such as Argumentum ad hominem, Straw Man, and Tu quoque. Meanwhile, liberals, though less vulnerable overall, are particularly influenced by specific fallacies which align with their moral focus on harm and fairness. The findings offer new insights into the intersection of moral psychology, political ideology, and misinformation, with practical implications for designing ideologically tailored climate change messages.
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series Environmental Research Communications
spelling doaj-art-e3d60b2c97994b75ad45ba810dabcb952025-08-20T03:03:11ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Communications2515-76202025-01-017808500510.1088/2515-7620/adf497The interplay between progressivism and logical fallacy: implications for climate change communicationsMehmet Özer Demir0Zuhal Gök Demir1Fulya Erendağ Sümer2Çiğdem Karakaya3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1172-0973Hediye Aydoğan4Burak Arslan5Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University , TürkiyeAkdeniz University , TürkiyeAkdeniz University , TürkiyeAkdeniz University , TürkiyeAkdeniz University , TürkiyeAlanya Alaaddin Keykubat University , TürkiyeThe spread of fake news and the influence of moral reasoning on public opinion present significant challenges in climate change communication. This study examines how the ideological underpinnings of conservatism and liberalism, combined with logical fallacies and fake news, shape public perceptions of climate change. Using the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ), and a quantitative online survey of 288 participants, we assess whether individuals identified as liberal or conservative are more prone to accept flawed reasoning. Results show that conservatives are significantly more susceptible to a broader range of logical fallacies, including emotional manipulation, appeals to authority, and oversimplified arguments—patterns commonly associated with fallacies such as Argumentum ad hominem, Straw Man, and Tu quoque. Meanwhile, liberals, though less vulnerable overall, are particularly influenced by specific fallacies which align with their moral focus on harm and fairness. The findings offer new insights into the intersection of moral psychology, political ideology, and misinformation, with practical implications for designing ideologically tailored climate change messages.https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adf497moral foundations theorypolitical ideologylogical fallaciesclimate change communicationmisinformation
spellingShingle Mehmet Özer Demir
Zuhal Gök Demir
Fulya Erendağ Sümer
Çiğdem Karakaya
Hediye Aydoğan
Burak Arslan
The interplay between progressivism and logical fallacy: implications for climate change communications
Environmental Research Communications
moral foundations theory
political ideology
logical fallacies
climate change communication
misinformation
title The interplay between progressivism and logical fallacy: implications for climate change communications
title_full The interplay between progressivism and logical fallacy: implications for climate change communications
title_fullStr The interplay between progressivism and logical fallacy: implications for climate change communications
title_full_unstemmed The interplay between progressivism and logical fallacy: implications for climate change communications
title_short The interplay between progressivism and logical fallacy: implications for climate change communications
title_sort interplay between progressivism and logical fallacy implications for climate change communications
topic moral foundations theory
political ideology
logical fallacies
climate change communication
misinformation
url https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adf497
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