Abstract

The pervasive spread of online misinformation presents a critical challenge for modern societies. While psychological inoculation has emerged as an effective preemptive strategy to counter false information, existing research has predominantly focused on validating its effectiveness rather than understanding individuals' motivation to adopt such interventions. This study addresses this gap by examining the factors that influence the intention to receive psychological inoculation. Drawing on Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and incorporating individual differences, we developed a theoretical model to explain proactive inoculation intention. Using survey, employing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and SPSS, we found that perceived severity, vulnerability, response efficacy, and self-efficacy significantly predict inoculation intention. Furthermore, loss aversion positively moderates the efficacy-intention relationships, while past experiences with misinformation show no significant moderating effects. These findings extend PMT by integrating behavioral economics insights and offer practical guidance for designing more adoptable interventions against misinformation.

Download

Share

COinS