Expertise Hardens Belief Identity

Greater factual knowledge about a topic can make that topic part of a person’s identity or status marker, which makes corrective information less effective and can backfire. This dynamic means that educating the already‑informed can paradoxically increase polarization and reduce the marginal effectiveness of fact‑based persuasion. — If widely true, policymakers and communicators must shift from information provision to strategies that decouple expertise from identity (messenger design, coalition framing, procedural trust) to change public opinion.