As it turned out, the average respondent was responsive to the correction, no matter their political beliefs. For every fake story, the average liberal, moderate, and conservative responded to the factual correction by rejecting the fake news. Of course, in some cases liberals were less enthusiastic about rejecting fake news stories that favored their side’s interest. In some cases, conservatives did the same. But in no case did we observe average survey participants—or even ideologically motivated respondents—rejecting the correction.

If you’re concerned about the spread of fake news, we have a few recommendations. First, tell the truth. If you encounter someone spreading fake stories, don’t shy away from reporting the facts in response. Whether it’s your racist uncle or a long-lost friend from high school, our results indicate that they’ll probably be willing to accept the facts. That is likely to be the case even if they’re coming from the other end of the ideological spectrum. Relatedly, when you rebut fake news, try to rely on non-partisan sources like Snopes.com. In your rebuttal, get to the point, and leave the partisan attacks for another time.