Americans Most Likely to Share Covid-19 Fake Information

Definition

Misinformation

Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. It is differentiated from disinformation, which is deliberately deceptive. Rumors are information not attributed to any particular source and are unreliable and often unverified, but they can be either true or false. Social media has made information available to us anytime, connecting vast groups of people with their data at once. Even if later retracted, misinformation can continue to influence actions and memory. People may be more prone to believe misinformation because they are emotionally connected to what they are hearing or reading.

Main Digest

People living in the United States are more than three times more likely to share misinformation and conspiracy theories about COVID-19 than people in four other English-speaking countries, including Canada, a Simon Fraser University study has found.

advertisement

When the entire world stopped in early 2020 due to the pandemic, researchers were presented with a rare opportunity to study the sharing of the same conspiracy theories and other misinformation across multiple countries.

SFU political science professor Mark Pickup, along with colleagues from Colorado State University and McMaster University, focused on five Western, English-speaking democracies: the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

Researchers found that people in the U.S. were no more likely to report seeing misinformation than people living in any of the other countries but were three times more likely to share these theories with their followers.

"America is an outlier. Our findings are consistent with recent work about the outsized role that Americans play in sharing misinformation on social media," Pickup says.

According to the study, published in the Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media, there are a few reasons why Americans stand out from the other countries.

Article continues below image.

Continued...

While people in other countries self-reported that they shared misinformation to make other aware of them or to criticize them, Americans are considerably more likely to share theories to promote or show support for them and use it as a way to connect with others.

The polarized political landscape of the U.S., which also played out in debates about COVID-19, also correlated with the sharing of misinformation. Those who identified as conservative and those that trusted the Trump government were more likely to share misinformation online.

In all countries, those who have populist attitudes and distrust health officials were more likely to share misinformation than those who do not.

In Canada, the survey found that the number one reason people shared conspiracy theories online was for people to be aware of them and the second-most common reason was to criticize them.

Facebook was the most common platform for sharing misinformation, accounting for more than half of those sharing misinformation in each country.

The results are based on their study of thousands of nationally-representative surveys conducted in each country in July 2020 and January 2021.

Attribution/Source(s):

This peer reviewed article relating to our Disability News in the Americas section was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its likely interest to our disability community readers. Though the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or length, the article "Americans Most Likely to Share Covid-19 Fake Information" was originally written by Simon Fraser University, and published by Disabled-World.com on 2022-11-08 (Updated: 2023-01-04). Should you require further information or clarification, Simon Fraser University can be contacted at sfu.ca. Disabled World makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

Share This Information To:
𝕏.com Facebook Reddit

advertisement

Disabled World is an independent disability community founded in 2004 to provide disability news and information to people with disabilities, seniors, their family and/or carers. See our homepage for informative reviews, exclusive stories and how-tos. You can connect with us on social media such as X.com and our Facebook page.

Permalink: <a href="https://www.disabled-world.com/news/america/americans.php">Americans Most Likely to Share Covid-19 Fake Information</a>

Cite This Page (APA): Simon Fraser University. (2022, November 8). Americans Most Likely to Share Covid-19 Fake Information. Disabled World. Retrieved September 22, 2023 from www.disabled-world.com/news/america/americans.php

Disabled World provides general information only. The materials presented are never meant to substitute for qualified professional medical care, nor should they be construed as such. Funding is derived from advertisements or referral programs. Any 3rd party offering or advertising does not constitute an endorsement.