The study assessed people’s knowledge of the virus in the earliest stages of the pandemic.
The study in
Current Medical Research & Opinion, surveyed 5,948 adults in Pennsylvania between March 25-31, 2020, and found that those who relied on social media and TV for news were less likely to get the facts right about the coronavirus.
In fact, adults that used Facebook as an additional source of news in any way were less likely to answer COVID-19 questions correctly than those who did not.
“The rise of social media has changed the way people around the world keep up with current events, with studies showing that up to 66% of Americans rely on social media for news,” says coauthor Robert Lennon, associate professor of family and community medicine at Penn State’s College of Medicine.
Image: Getty Images | damircudic
April 13, 2021
HERSHEY, Pa. People who trust television and Facebook to provide them with accurate news about the coronavirus pandemic are less knowledgeable about COVID-19, according to a new study, which assessed people’s knowledge of the virus in the earliest stages of the pandemic.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Current Medical Research & Opinion, surveyed 5,948 adults in Pennsylvania between March 25-31, 2020, and found that those who relied on social media and TV for news were less likely to get the facts right about the coronavirus.
In fact, adults that used Facebook as an additional source of news in any way were less likely to answer COVID-19 questions correctly than those who did not.
People who trust TV and Facebook for accurate news about COVID-19 are less knowledgeable
People who trust television and Facebook to provide them with accurate news about the coronavirus pandemic are less knowledgeable about COVID-19, according to a new study, which assessed people s knowledge of the virus in the earliest stages of the pandemic.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal
Current Medical Research & Opinion, surveyed 5,948 adults in Pennsylvania between March 25-31, 2020, and found that those who relied on social media and TV for news were less likely to get the facts right about the coronavirus.
In fact, adults that used Facebook as an additional source of news in any way were less likely to answer COVID-19 questions correctly than those who did not.
Written by Robby Berman on April 15, 2021 Fact checked by Hilary Guite, FFPH, MRCGP
New research finds that TV news and Facebook were the top two sources of misinformation in the early days of the pandemic. Westend61/Getty Images
A study by Penn State researchers finds that people who got health information from TV news during the early days of COVID-19 were the most misinformed.
The second least knowledgeable group were those who got their information from Facebook.
42.8% of people surveyed got COVID-19 information from government health sites.
Those who learned about COVID-19 from government sites were the most knowledgeable people surveyed.
Adults who view TV and social media as news sources on COVID are less informed eurekalert.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eurekalert.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.