Misinformation in Germany During the Covid-19 Pandemic
During the Covid-19 pandemic, people have been exposed to vast amounts of misinformation. This “infodemic” has undermined key behavioural and pharmacological measures to contain the pandemic. In a cross-sectional survey of residents of Germany, we investigated the perceived prevalence of misinforma...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Zurich, IKMZ – Department of Communication and Media Research
2022-06-01
|
| Series: | European Journal of Health Communication (EJHC) |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ejhc.org/article/view/2978 |
| _version_ | 1818469440103120896 |
|---|---|
| author | Christina Leuker Lukas Maximilian Eggeling Nadine Fleischhut John Gubernath Ksenija Gumenik Shahar Hechtlinger Anastasia Kozyreva Larissa Samaan Ralph Hertwig |
| author_facet | Christina Leuker Lukas Maximilian Eggeling Nadine Fleischhut John Gubernath Ksenija Gumenik Shahar Hechtlinger Anastasia Kozyreva Larissa Samaan Ralph Hertwig |
| author_sort | Christina Leuker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
During the Covid-19 pandemic, people have been exposed to vast amounts of misinformation. This “infodemic” has undermined key behavioural and pharmacological measures to contain the pandemic. In a cross-sectional survey of residents of Germany, we investigated the perceived prevalence of misinformation, the strategies people reported using to discern between true and false information, and individual differences in beliefs in misinformation at three time points from June 2020 to February 2021 (N = 3324). We observed four main results. First, there was an increase in the perceived prevalence of misinformation over time. Second, the most believed false claims included that the virus is no worse than the flu and that the EU has approved dangerous vaccines. Third, belief in misinformation was associated with support for the far-right AfD party; reliance on tabloids, neighbours and social media for information; lower levels of education; and migration background. Fourth, only about half of the respondents reported using strategies such as checking for consistency between different sources to identify misinformation. These results can inform the development of interventions, such as boosting the ability to discern accurate from misleading information, or enriching specific environments (e.g., neighbourhoods with high rates of migration) with accessible and high-quality information.
|
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:24:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f73f3d52b79d459a90971a4b68e7c83e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2673-5903 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:24:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | University of Zurich, IKMZ – Department of Communication and Media Research |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Health Communication (EJHC) |
| spelling | doaj.art-f73f3d52b79d459a90971a4b68e7c83e2022-12-22T02:29:22ZengUniversity of Zurich, IKMZ – Department of Communication and Media ResearchEuropean Journal of Health Communication (EJHC)2673-59032022-06-013210.47368/ejhc.2022.202Misinformation in Germany During the Covid-19 PandemicChristina Leuker0Lukas Maximilian Eggeling1Nadine Fleischhut2John Gubernath3Ksenija Gumenik4Shahar Hechtlinger5Anastasia Kozyreva6Larissa Samaan7Ralph Hertwig8Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Berlin, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany During the Covid-19 pandemic, people have been exposed to vast amounts of misinformation. This “infodemic” has undermined key behavioural and pharmacological measures to contain the pandemic. In a cross-sectional survey of residents of Germany, we investigated the perceived prevalence of misinformation, the strategies people reported using to discern between true and false information, and individual differences in beliefs in misinformation at three time points from June 2020 to February 2021 (N = 3324). We observed four main results. First, there was an increase in the perceived prevalence of misinformation over time. Second, the most believed false claims included that the virus is no worse than the flu and that the EU has approved dangerous vaccines. Third, belief in misinformation was associated with support for the far-right AfD party; reliance on tabloids, neighbours and social media for information; lower levels of education; and migration background. Fourth, only about half of the respondents reported using strategies such as checking for consistency between different sources to identify misinformation. These results can inform the development of interventions, such as boosting the ability to discern accurate from misleading information, or enriching specific environments (e.g., neighbourhoods with high rates of migration) with accessible and high-quality information. https://ejhc.org/article/view/2978perceptions of misinformationbeliefs in misinformationCovid-19Germany |
| spellingShingle | Christina Leuker Lukas Maximilian Eggeling Nadine Fleischhut John Gubernath Ksenija Gumenik Shahar Hechtlinger Anastasia Kozyreva Larissa Samaan Ralph Hertwig Misinformation in Germany During the Covid-19 Pandemic European Journal of Health Communication (EJHC) perceptions of misinformation beliefs in misinformation Covid-19 Germany |
| title | Misinformation in Germany During the Covid-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Misinformation in Germany During the Covid-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Misinformation in Germany During the Covid-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Misinformation in Germany During the Covid-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Misinformation in Germany During the Covid-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | misinformation in germany during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | perceptions of misinformation beliefs in misinformation Covid-19 Germany |
| url | https://ejhc.org/article/view/2978 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christinaleuker misinformationingermanyduringthecovid19pandemic AT lukasmaximilianeggeling misinformationingermanyduringthecovid19pandemic AT nadinefleischhut misinformationingermanyduringthecovid19pandemic AT johngubernath misinformationingermanyduringthecovid19pandemic AT ksenijagumenik misinformationingermanyduringthecovid19pandemic AT shaharhechtlinger misinformationingermanyduringthecovid19pandemic AT anastasiakozyreva misinformationingermanyduringthecovid19pandemic AT larissasamaan misinformationingermanyduringthecovid19pandemic AT ralphhertwig misinformationingermanyduringthecovid19pandemic |