Current Projects

Disinformation on COVID-19 vaccination on YouTube: An analysis of content, impact, and subsequent verification processes via online search  (Swiss Federal Office of Communication, 2021-2022) 

Edda Humprecht, Sabrina Kessler 

The project on disinformation on COVID-19 vaccination on YouTube is funded in 2021/2022 by the Swiss Federal Office of Communication. Objectives are the investigation of 1) statements, actors, and attributions of responsibility in the disinformation about COVID-19 vaccination; 2) the effects of the disinformation on the willingness of citizens to vaccinate; and 3) How do citizens proceed in the verification and falsification of such disinformation by means of online information searches.  

Uninformed to Disinformed Citizens? – Comparing Western Information Environments  (Swiss, National Science Foundation, 2019-2023)

Edda Humprecht, Frank Esser, Peter van Aelst (University of Antwerp) 

This project aims to assess the extent of online disinformation in Western Europe compared to the U.S. We aim to find out which actors spread false information, how disinformation is consumed and perceived, and which societal groups are most susceptible to being affected by it. Our international team based at the universities of Zurich and Antwerp analyzes the problem in six countries (Switzerland, Belgium, France, Germany, the U.K., and the U.S.) from several perspectives. The project starts with a representative survey in order to explore usage and exposure to online disinformation. In a second step, we conduct experiments with users most susceptible to disinformation to find out why participants read, share, and believe false information. Finally, we analyze which actors spread disinformation and how this kind of political information is communicated to users.