Inaccurate and misleading information about science spreads more widely online during elections and crisis periods, according to a study by researchers from the University of Warsaw who analysed nearly 977,000 online mentions across social media platforms, forums, blogs and comment sections.
The report, titled “[Un]certainty: Science in the Circulation of Problematic Information: Trust, Platforms, and Audiences on the Polish-Language Internet,” was prepared by Dominika Czerniawska, PhD, and Maria Lompe, PhD. It examined data from November 2023 to October 2025.
Researchers defined “problematic information” as content that is inaccurate, misleading, incorrectly attributed or entirely fabricated, with a focus on how such narratives circulate in online environments.
The study found that misinformation related to science most frequently concerns health topics, including alternative cancer treatments, COVID-19 and other vaccination programmes, and claims about vaccine safety during pregnancy. It also identified significant volumes of misleading content in technology and climate-related discussions.
Climate-related misinformation included conspiracy theories involving weather control through 5G technology and “chemtrails,” as well as broader narratives such as the New World Order and cash abolition theories.
According to the report, visibility of such content increased during major political events, including the 2023 Polish parliamentary elections, the 2024 US presidential campaign, and the 2025 Polish presidential election. Climate-related misinformation also peaked during European Parliament election periods.
“Election time is a time of maximum polarisation in many countries, fuelled by the so-called attention and outrage economy. Social media platforms exploit audience sentiment during this period, basing their business model on the assumption that human attention and negative emotions are commodities sold to advertisers,” the report states.
Researchers also observed seasonal patterns. Anti-vaccine narratives increased during autumn and winter, while discussions about electric vehicles rose during flood periods. The analysis also noted that claims about a fake Moon landing increased ahead of Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski’s spaceflight.
The report shows that problematic science content appears most frequently on forums and in comment sections, followed by platforms such as X and Facebook. Lower volumes were recorded on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, although highly engaging conspiracy content was still present.
On Facebook, researchers observed strong emotional engagement, with anger and ridicule accounting for over 43% of shares. On YouTube, conspiracy theories about cash abolition, Bill Gates, depopulation and alternative COVID-19 treatments generated high interaction levels.
On X, discussion focused primarily on vaccines, climate change and current political debates. On TikTok, misinformation was concentrated around health topics such as homeopathy, cholesterol and alternative cancer treatments.
Researchers also found that most problematic content circulates within closed platform ecosystems, with limited connection to external sources. Fewer than 16% of the nearly 800,000 analysed mentions contained links, and those links mostly directed to other social media content rather than external scientific sources.
The authors also suggested that the higher prevalence of misinformation on forums may be linked to anonymity, weaker moderation and longer content lifespan compared to social media platforms, though they noted these explanations remain hypothetical and were not tested in depth within the study.
PAP - Science in Poland
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