Understanding experiences of minority beliefs online
Ofcom has a statutory duty to promote and research media literacy. A key way we seek to fulfil this duty is through our Making Sense of Media programme, which aims to help improve the online skills, knowledge and understanding of children and adults in the UK.
This report is a stand-alone research project into the attitudes and experiences of those who hold minority beliefs in relation to health protection, climate change and the Russia/Ukraine conflict.
We commissioned this research both to increase our own understanding of how and why people develop minority beliefs in an online context, and to share these insights more widely. We also wanted to explore the relationship between types of media literacy and the formation of such beliefs.
The research provides a detailed understanding of the ways in which these minority beliefs develop, spread and impact those who hold them, and demonstrates the importance of underlying knowledge and skills, as well as behaviour, in media literacy.
Full report
Understanding experiences of minority beliefs on online communication platforms (PDF, 438.0 KB)