The “Future of Energy”? Building resilience to ExxonMobil’s disinformation through disclosures and inoculation

Abstract

Abstract Disinformation campaigns can significantly impact beliefs about climate change. This study involved an online experiment with 1045 U.S. participants, exposing them to a misleading ExxonMobil advertisement, some with disclosures and others preceded by inoculation messages. Participants were divided into five conditions: a control group, a group exposed to pre-bunking messages from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and groups shown social media posts featuring the ad—with or without disclosures—claiming ExxonMobil’s commitment to renewable energy. Results showed the ad effectively influenced beliefs, but disclosures helped participants recognize the content as advertising, and inoculation messages reduced susceptibility, though not entirely. These findings highlight the value of using disclosures and inoculation to counter climate disinformation, providing a foundation for communication strategies that support climate action.