Susceptibility to misinformation about COVID-19 around the world
Jon Roozenbeek,Claudia R. Schneider,Sarah Dryhurst,John R. Kerr,Alexandra L. J. Freeman,Gabriel Recchia,Anne Marthe van der Bles,Anne Marthe van der Bles,Sander van der Linden +8 more
TLDR
A clear link between susceptibility to misinformation and both vaccine hesitancy and a reduced likelihood to comply with health guidance measures is demonstrated, and interventions which aim to improve critical thinking and trust in science may be a promising avenue for future research.Abstract:
Misinformation about COVID-19 is a major threat to public health. Using five national samples from the UK (n = 1050 and n = 1150), Ireland (n = 700), the USA (n = 700), Spain (n = 700) and Mexico (n = 700), we examine predictors of belief in the most common statements about the virus that contain misinformation. We also investigate the prevalence of belief in COVID-19 misinformation across different countries and the role of belief in such misinformation in predicting relevant health behaviours. We find that while public belief in misinformation about COVID-19 is not particularly common, a substantial proportion views this type of misinformation as highly reliable in each country surveyed. In addition, a small group of participants find common factual information about the virus highly unreliable. We also find that increased susceptibility to misinformation negatively affects people's self-reported compliance with public health guidance about COVID-19, as well as people's willingness to get vaccinated against the virus and to recommend the vaccine to vulnerable friends and family. Across all countries surveyed, we find that higher trust in scientists and having higher numeracy skills were associated with lower susceptibility to coronavirus-related misinformation. Taken together, these results demonstrate a clear link between susceptibility to misinformation and both vaccine hesitancy and a reduced likelihood to comply with health guidance measures, and suggest that interventions which aim to improve critical thinking and trust in science may be a promising avenue for future research.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Measuring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on vaccination intent in the UK and USA.
Sahil Loomba,Alexandre de Figueiredo,Simon J. Piatek,Kristen de Graaf,Heidi J. Larson,Heidi J. Larson,Heidi J. Larson +6 more
TL;DR: This paper conducted a randomized controlled trial in the UK and USA to quantify how exposure to online misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines affects intent to vaccinate to protect oneself or others, and found that in both countries-as of September 2020-fewer people would 'definitely' take a vaccine than is likely required for herd immunity.
Journal ArticleDOI
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in a representative working-age population in France: a survey experiment based on vaccine characteristics.
TL;DR: Outright vaccine refusal was significantly associated with female gender, age, lower educational level, poor compliance with recommended vaccinations in the past, and no report of specified chronic conditions (ie, no hypertension [for vaccine hesitancy] or no chronic conditions other than hypertension [ for outright vaccine refusal]).
Journal ArticleDOI
International estimates of intended uptake and refusal of COVID-19 vaccines: A rapid systematic review and meta-analysis of large nationally representative samples.
TL;DR: In this paper, the percentage of the population intending to vaccinate, unsure, or intending to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine when available was examined using large nationally representative samples.
Journal ArticleDOI
Inoculating Against Fake News About COVID-19.
TL;DR: The theory of psychological inoculation (or prebunking) is discussed as an efficient vehicle for conferring large-scale psychological resistance against fake news in response to the coronavirus “infodemic”.
Posted ContentDOI
International estimates of intended uptake and refusal of COVID-19 vaccines: A rapid systematic review and meta-analysis of large nationally representative samples
TL;DR: Intentions to be vaccinated when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available have been declining globally and there is an urgent need to address social inequalities in vaccine hesitancy and promote widespread uptake of vaccines as they become available.
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Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response.
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Misinformation and Its Correction: Continued Influence and Successful Debiasing
TL;DR: Recommendations may help practitioners—including journalists, health professionals, educators, and science communicators—design effective misinformation retractions, educational tools, and public-information campaigns.
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