Resisting falsehoods: a humanist responsibility

20 hours ago

10 min read

By Maggie Hall

From misconceptions about asylum seekers and transgender people to Holocaust denial, anti-vaccine campaigns and climate change scepticism, false beliefs can shape public attitudes and sometimes cause real harm. This article explores some persistent modern myths and asks why evidence, reason, and a willingness to question our own assumptions matter more than ever.

Maggie is a former Chair of Brighton Humanists, a Humanist School Speaker and a member of the Humanists UK dialogue network.

I used to have a friend, a retired academic and sadly no longer with us, who would phone me from his home in Manchester once a week for a chat. He didn’t have a TV or an internet connection and only ever listened to BBC Radio 3, but he was an avid follower of the news, politics and current affairs and had firm opinions on most things. A recurring theme in his conversation was his perception of the growing number of Muslims in this country. He was convinced that there had been a large increase in recent years and that they now made up a large proportion of the country’s population. When I told him that, according to the 2021 census, Muslims only made up six per cent of the population of England and Wales, he was reluctant to believe it.

His perception was perhaps understandable, when you consider that the census records a figure of 22.3 per cent of the population of Manchester as Muslim. That's 122,962 people out of a population of 551,938. His everyday experience may therefore have led him to overestimate their prevalence nationally. In contrast, the number of Muslims in my own small south coast town (population 23,907) is 172 (0.72 per cent). Hardly surprising then that I’m not aware of having met more than maybe one or two at most.

People living in areas with substantial Muslim populations may understandably overestimate their proportion of Britain's population as a whole, while those living in areas like mine may underestimate it. We are all prone to generalising from our immediate experience, which is why reliable data, rather than personal impressions, is so important to a humanist understanding of the world.

Immigration myths

Similarly, people living in areas with a high number of immigrants may have the mistaken impression that most immigration to Britain takes place through small-boat crossings, partly because of frequent media images of these arrivals. Such perceptions can contribute to a narrative of “a mass influx of foreigners invading our shores”. Misconceptions about asylum seekers are widespread. Here are some:

“The UK is hosting very large numbers of refugees”

At the end of 2025, the UK hosted approximately 581,000 refugees (UNHCR). Whether this constitutes a “very large number” depends on the comparison being made. Globally, most refugees remain in countries neighbouring those from which they have fled. Uganda, for example, hosts more than three times as many refugees as the UK, while Turkey hosts around four times as many. In fact, 65 per cent of the world's refugees are hosted by neighbouring countries.

“Nearly all asylum seekers are men”
Adult men make up a majority of people claiming asylum in the UK, but they are far from the whole picture. In the year ending June 2026, 60 per cent of asylum claimants were adult men, rising to around 72 per cent among those arriving in small boats. However, not everyone seeking asylum arrives by boat: many enter through other routes, including on work or student visas. Men sometimes travel ahead of their families, hoping that their partners and children can join them once they have been granted refugee status. Indeed, more than 90 per cent of refugee family reunion visas have been granted to women and children, although the government suspended new applications under this scheme in September 2025.
“Asylum seekers are being given handouts of £70, mobile phones, are prioritised for social housing, and get other benefits”
The claim that asylum seekers receive £70 a week was investigated and found to be false by the fact-checking organisation Full Fact in July 2025. In reality, asylum seekers who cannot support themselves receive £9.95 per person per week if their accommodation includes meals, or £49.18 if they must buy their own food. They are not automatically given mobile phones and are generally ineligible for mainstream welfare benefits. Asylum seekers are not eligible for social housing. Those subsequently granted refugee status may apply, but receive no automatic priority over other eligible applicants. Most asylum seekers are also prohibited from working while their claims are being considered, although limited exceptions apply.
“People seeking asylum in Britain can simply apply for a visa from abroad”
There is no general visa for claiming asylum in the UK, and asylum applications cannot be made from France or at British embassies overseas. Apart from specific resettlement and humanitarian schemes, people must reach Britain before they can claim asylum. This creates a dilemma: those unable to obtain a visa by other means may resort to dangerous and unauthorised journeys. The UN Refugee Convention recognises this difficulty and provides protection against penalties for irregular entry in certain circumstances. However, claiming asylum does not automatically make an unauthorised crossing lawful.
“Asylum seekers are being provided with good accommodation and food at the taxpayer’s expense”
It is true that asylum seekers who cannot support themselves are provided with accommodation and food at taxpayers’ expense, either through meals supplied with their accommodation or a weekly allowance to buy their own. But the quality of that provision is another matter. In 2019, the then Conservative government awarded ten-year contracts to three large companies – Serco, Clearsprings and Mears – to house people seeking asylum. According to the National Audit Office, these companies made a combined profit of £383 million from the contracts. Meanwhile, parliamentary investigations have documented numerous cases of dirty, overcrowded and poorly maintained accommodation, alongside complaints about poor-quality food. Although standards vary, many asylum seekers live in difficult conditions while private companies profit from housing them.

Meals given to people seeking asylum in Clearsprings hotels

Demographic replacement – a grand conspiracy?

Misconceptions about immigration can also contribute to wider anxieties about demographic and cultural change. These concerns should not, however, be confused with conspiracy theories such as the “Great Replacement”, popularised by the French writer Renaud Camus in his 2011 book Le Grand Remplacement. The theory alleges that Europe's established populations are being deliberately replaced through immigration, with the complicity of political or other elites. Some versions also incorporate antisemitic claims about Jewish involvement. Although immigration does change the demographic composition of societies, there is no credible evidence of a coordinated conspiracy to replace their populations.

Holocaust denial

Anti-Jewish conspiracy theories have a long history, from the notorious medieval blood libel, which falsely accused Jews of murdering Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals, to modern Holocaust denial. Despite overwhelming historical evidence, Holocaust denial and distortion persist. A global survey by the Anti-Defamation League, published in 2025, found that four per cent of respondents denied that the Holocaust had happened, while considerably more believed that the number of Jews murdered had been greatly exaggerated.

Transgender myths and misconceptions

Another area in which misconceptions abound is transgender issues. These include the belief that children are routinely undergoing gender reassignment surgery. In the UK, genital surgery is not part of NHS treatment for under-18s. Indeed, the idea that being transgender necessarily involves surgery is itself a misconception. Not all transgender people want surgery, and some do not wish to take hormones.

Another misconception is that being transgender is itself a mental illness. The World Health Organization no longer classifies gender incongruence as a mental disorder. Transgender people do, however, experience elevated rates of mental health difficulties, including self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Research suggests that discrimination, rejection and the stresses associated with belonging to a marginalised minority can contribute to these difficulties, although the causes are complex.

Science denialism

Science denial is widespread. Some false beliefs may seem relatively harmless. It probably does little direct harm if someone believes that the Earth is flat or that the Moon landings were faked. However, other forms of science denial can have serious consequences, particularly when they influence decisions about health, safety or the environment. And some false beliefs prove remarkably resistant to correction.

The MMR panic and the anti-vax movement

In 1998, a research paper by the physician Andrew Wakefield and colleagues was published in The Lancet, suggesting a possible association between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, bowel disorders and autism. The paper, based on just twelve children, was subsequently discredited and retracted, and Wakefield's research was found to have involved serious misconduct. Nevertheless, his claims caused widespread alarm among parents understandably concerned about the safety of vaccinating their children. MMR vaccination rates fell sharply in the following years, and although they later recovered, uptake has declined again more recently. Extensive subsequent research has found no causal link between MMR vaccination and autism.

The consequences of inadequate vaccination can be serious. According to the UK Health Security Agency, there were 1,030 confirmed cases of measles in England between January and 12 October 2026, with three reported measles-related deaths.

Opposition to vaccination is almost as old as vaccination itself. Edward Jenner's pioneering smallpox vaccine, developed using cowpox, met with considerable resistance. Opponents circulated images of vaccinated people developing bovine features, a fear famously satirised by James Gillray in his cartoon The Cow-Pock.

James Gillray's 1802 caricature of Jenner vaccinating patients who feared it would make them sprout cowlike appendages. (Creative Commons)

More recently, Covid-19 vaccination has attracted opposition, partly through concerns about vaccine safety and ingredients, but also through objections to compulsory vaccination, particularly where it was required for employment. The latter raises questions about individual liberty and public health which should be distinguished from scientifically unfounded claims about vaccine safety.

Climate change denial

Despite repeated reports from climate scientists and growing evidence of the effects of climate change, including more frequent or intense heatwaves and heavy rainfall, some people still reject the finding that human activity is causing global warming. Yet the basic scientific principle that carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere has been established for well over a century. There is legitimate room for debate about how governments should respond, including the costs and benefits of different policies, but this should be distinguished from rejecting established scientific findings. Here are some of the false claims made by climate change deniers:

“Climate change is just part of a natural cycle”

It's true that Earth's climate has changed throughout its 4.5-billion-year history, with periods of warming and cooling. However, the warming observed over the past century cannot be explained by natural cycles alone. Scientists have established that the principal cause is the increase in greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, resulting from human activities such as burning fossil fuels. The current rate of warming is exceptional in the context of the past several thousand years.

“There isn’t a consensus on climate change in the scientific community”

There is a strong consensus among climate scientists that the Earth is warming and that human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are the principal cause. Studies of published climate research have consistently found agreement exceeding 90 per cent, with some estimates reaching 97 per cent or higher. This consensus reflects decades of evidence from temperature measurements, atmospheric observations and our understanding of greenhouse gases.

“The UK only accounts for 1% of global emissions so what we do makes no difference”

It's true that the UK accounts for around one per cent of current global carbon dioxide emissions. But if every country responsible for a relatively small share concluded that its contribution was irrelevant, collective efforts to reduce emissions would be seriously undermined. Countries individually responsible for less than two per cent of global emissions collectively account for a substantial share of the total.

The UK also has a significant historical contribution to accumulated emissions and can exert influence through international agreements, technological innovation and trade. Britain cannot tackle climate change alone, and there are legitimate questions about the costs and effectiveness of different policies. Nevertheless, its relatively small share of current emissions does not mean that its actions are inconsequential.

“We can’t afford net zero”

The transition to net zero will require substantial investment, but it could also bring economic benefits through greater energy security, lower running costs and new industries. The UK's independent Climate Change Committee estimates that its proposed pathway would cost an average of around 0.2 per cent of GDP annually between 2025 and 2050, with upfront costs increasingly offset by savings.

Research by CBI Economics also shows that the UK's net-zero economy is growing and generating jobs and wider economic activity. There are costs to inaction, too: the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries has warned that severe climate and environmental risks could cause enormous long-term economic losses. The affordability of net zero therefore needs to be considered alongside the costs of failing to act, while recognising that different policies will have different economic consequences.

Conclusion: resisting falsehoods

Many other examples of potentially harmful pseudoscience will come to the mind of any sceptic reading this. There is homeopathy, with remedies sometimes diluted to the point where virtually none of the original ingredient remains. There are also dangerous health practices promoted by some TikTok and YouTube influencers, such as drinking borax to treat arthritis, despite the risk of serious poisoning. And during the Covid pandemic, President Trump notoriously speculated about whether disinfectant might be introduced into the body to combat the virus.

Why such illogical and sometimes dangerous ideas take hold, and why people can become so attached to them, are questions that psychologists have explored in studies of false beliefs.

Humanists place reason, evidence and critical thinking at the heart of their worldview. But scepticism must also involve questioning our own assumptions and being willing to change our minds when the evidence demands it. Challenging misinformation and harmful falsehoods is something we can all do, wherever they arise and whoever promotes them. After all, resisting bad ideas is one way of resisting harm.