The main objective of this interdisciplinary program is to investigate the nature and causes of knowledge resistance. Knowledge resistance is the failure to accept available knowledge. A central hypothesis is that knowledge resistance is the result of a complex interaction between emotions, cognition, social interaction and the flow of information. This means that a proper investigation of the phenomenon requires a genuinely interdisciplinary approach. The program is organized around four inter-connected work packages: 

I. Foundational questions concerning the nature of knowledge resistance,
II. the motivational roots of knowledge resistance,
III. potential consequences of knowledge resistance on the democratic process,
and IV., the role of media, media use, and media trust. 

Hajo Boomgaarden acts as lead researcher in the work package "The role of media, media use, and media trust", together with Jesper Strömbäck (PI), Yariv Tsfati and Rens Vliegenthart. The project runs from 2019 until 2025.