The previous discussion presumes that worldview backﬁre effects are not only
dangerous but prevalent. Recently, however, there has been backlash against
the very notion of worldview backﬁre effects, with some suggesting they are
extremely rare in practice. Wood and Porter (2019) attempt to detect worldview
backﬁre effects across a wide array of divisive issues and ﬁnd little evidence to
support their existence, even when using language identical to Nyhan and
Reiﬂer (2010). When examining several highly polarized issues, including gun
control and capital punishment, Guess and Coppock (2018) likewise fail to
uncover any worldview backﬁre effects in response to counter-attitudinal
information. Instead, individuals seem to accommodate novel information
into their later assessments of issues, even if that information runs counter to
their beliefs (see also Porter, Wood, and Kirby 2018). However, even if
corrections largely improve belief accuracy, these messages seem to have little
Social_Media_and_Democracy