The Role of News Consumption and Trust in Public Health Leadership in Shaping COVID-19 Knowledge and Prejudice

Frontiers in Psychology
Lindsay Y Dhanani, Berkeley Franz

Abstract

The novelty of COVID-19 has created unique challenges to successful public health efforts because it has required the public to quickly learn and formulate knowledge and attitudes about the virus as information becomes available. The need to stay apprised of new information has also created a critical role for mass media and public institutions in shaping the public's knowledge of, attitudes about, and responses to the unfolding pandemic. In this study, we examine how media consumption and reliance on specific institutions for information shapes three critical outcomes associated with public health epidemics: the accumulation of knowledge and the endorsement of misinformation about COVID-19, and prejudicial responses to the virus. We surveyed 1,141 adults residing across the United States in March 2020. Using multivariate regression and t-tests, we found that participants had greater knowledge, were less likely to endorse misinformation, and reported less bias toward Asian Americans when they had higher trust in the CDC and lower trust in President Trump. Reliance on certain news formats and sources was also associated with knowledge, misinformation, and prejudice. Our findings suggest that trust and news consumption can pose c...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 19, 2021·Prevention Science : the Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research·Emily SmailRenee M Johnson
Sep 14, 2021·Journal of Community Health·Melissa MacKayAndrew Papadopoulos
Sep 17, 2021·Translational Behavioral Medicine·Renee Garett, Sean D Young

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