The Importance of Science Education, Scientific Knowledge, and Evaluation Strategies for the Successful Detection of COVID‐19 Misinformation

ABSTRACT An important goal of science education is to equip students with the scientific knowledge and evaluation skills necessary to identify misinformation. However, the specific role of science education and knowledge and the evaluation strategies most commonly relied on in this process remain unclear. The two studies presented here leverage educational diversity to explore these issues: Study I focused on a representative sample of the general population ( n = 500), where science education is compulsory up to 10th grade. Study II focused on a representative sample from an ultra‐Orthodox community ( n = 800), where science education in school is not compulsory. Respondents in both studies were asked to share misinformation they heard during the COVID‐19 pandemic and explain why they did not believe it. Using content analysis of participants’ open‐ended answers, we found that about half of the general population and only a third of the ultra‐Orthodox sample were able to identify misinformation when confronted with such. Science knowledge was correlated with accurately identifying misinformation in both studies, but science education was correlated with performance only among the general public who widely receives mandatory science education. Participants from the general public who justified their suspicion using content evaluation were more likely to identify misinformation correctly. At the same time, ultra‐Orthodox were more likely to perform well when they justified their suspicion based on the evaluation of the source. These findings highlight the difficulty of recognizing misinformation in real life. Having scientific knowledge and awareness of sources doesn't guarantee protection from being misled—but it helps.