The experiences of and perspectives on EU-related misinformation: a bottom-up approach

Concerns about misinformation in relation to the EU are shared by citizens and government officials alike, yet the question remains how citizens actually experience misinformation about the EU. This study proposes a two-step inductive exploration of citizens’ experiences of and perspectives on EU-related misinformation. In focus groups with a broad array of Dutch citizens (expected n = 20-25, in 4-5 different focus groups), we will first start off with group interviews focusing on the experience and perceived consequences of misinformation relating to the EU. Besides a selection of different social backgrounds, these interviews will be held with people who are explicitly in favour and against the EU. The second part of the focus groups will be based conducted using a q-methodology-based approach, were participants rank various examples of (fake) news headlines concerning the EU based on their assessment of what is misinformation and what is not. Participants will furthermore be asked to explain their assessment of these headlines. In the context of this study, this approach allows us to understand the way various citizens from different social backgrounds and with difference perspectives on the EU perceive various types of information related to the EU. This study expects that citizens’ views on misinformation about the European Union (EU) can be shaped by their existing attitudes and (political) beliefs. Using the logic of motivated reasoning, we expect that what individuals identify as misinformation may diverge based on their prior attitudes and beliefs, particularly in the context of a complex institution such as the EU. By scrutinizing the factors that shape the experience of and perspectives on misinformation in the context of the EU using a bottom-up and citizen-focused approach, we can better understand what certain people consider to be misinformation (or not) and how this may impact their political behaviour.