Responses to Independent vs. Industry-Funded Messaging on the Harms of Alcohol, Climate Change, Tobacco and Sugar Sweetened Beverages

This novel randomized controlled study demonstrates that exposure to messages from industry-sponsored organisations significantly increase uncertainty regarding the risk of climate change, sugar sweetened beverages, tobacco and alcohol. The difference in groups was predominantly due to more respondents reporting uncertainty.

This evidence brings into question whether industries who produce harmful products and those in receipt of their funding should be permitted to communicate with the public about the harmful impacts and health risks, considering the effect, and the scale of these interventions.

More broadly, policy-makers seeking to improve public understanding of risk and policy, should be aware of the spread and potency of commercially driven misinformation.