Abstract:

Environmental disinformation posed a growing challenge to public understanding of ecological issues, particularly within digitally mediated information environments. This study examined how non-science Polish Generation Z individuals cognitively and emotionally engaged with environmental disinformation through their use of language expressing propositional attitudes. An exploratory qualitative design was employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight Polish Gen Z participants aged 18–23 who had no formal background in the natural sciences. Data were analyzed using an interpretive, constructivist analytic framework to identify recurring cognitive, affective, and evaluative patterns underlying participants’ engagement with environmental claims. The findings demonstrated that participants did not approach environmental information through binary judgments of truth or falsehood, but through differentiated propositional attitudes encompassing trust, skepticism, doubt, emotional concern, and moral evaluation. Legacy news media, foundational school-based knowledge, and interpersonal networks functioned as primary epistemic anchors, while social media operated mainly as an exposure mechanism rather than a trusted source. Participants reported active verification practices, including cross-referencing information and relying on perceived institutional credibility; however, these practices were frequently constrained by emotional distress, information overload, and a perceived lack of efficacy in countering widespread disinformation. Political instrumentalization of environmental narratives and the increasing sophistication of digital misinformation tactics were widely recognized, reinforcing cautious, selective, and at times defensive interpretive stances. The study further showed that propositional attitudes shaped not only belief formation but also participants’ responses to environmental disinformation, with corrective actions largely confined to interpersonal contexts rather than public digital engagement. Overall, the findings established propositional attitudes as a central mechanism through which Polish Gen Z individuals negotiated environmental disinformation, integrating cognitive evaluation, emotional processing, and moral responsibility. This study contributed to environmental communication and misinformation research by elucidating how non-expert young adults interpreted and responded to environmental claims within polarized, algorithmically amplified information environments.