How shades of truth and age affect responses to COVID-19 (Mis)information: randomized survey experiment among WhatsApp users in UK and Brazil

Abstract

We examined how age and exposure to different types of COVID-19 (mis)information affect misinformation beliefs, perceived credibility of the message and intention-to-share it on WhatsApp. Through two mixed-design online experiments in the UK and Brazil (total N = 1454) we first randomly exposed adult WhatsApp users to full misinformation, partial misinformation, or full truth about the therapeutic powers of garlic to cure COVID-19. We then exposed all participants to corrective information from the World Health Organisation debunking this claim. We found stronger misinformation beliefs among younger adults (18–54) in both the UK and Brazil and possible backfire effects of corrective information among older adults (55+) in the UK. Corrective information from the WHO was effective in enhancing perceived credibility and intention-to-share of accurate information across all groups in both countries. Our findings call for evidence-based infodemic interventions by health agencies, with greater engagement of younger adults in pandemic misinformation management efforts.

COVID-19 myth-busting: an experimental study

“…Following Vijaykumar et al, we divided participants into an older group (> 55 years old) and a younger group (< 56 years old). Overall, older participants had lower baseline agreement for myths than younger people, consistent with Vijaykumar et al (44), although correction was effective for all formats and no back re effects were observed (44). Analysis of older and younger participants separately showed that while younger participants showed the same correction format effects as those of the main analysis, older participants showed no differences.…”

“…Misinformation researchers have sometimes observed "back re" effects, whereby attempted correction leads to elevated belief in the myths (38,(60)(61)(62). While such effects have not been consistent in mythbusting research (30,31,36,43), back re was recently observed for older people when attempting to correct a COVID-19 myth about garlic (44) in a similar study to ours. We found that common COVID-19 correction formats did not cause back re effects, even in older people.…”

“…This e cacy applied across a UK representative sample and across a range of myths and were replicated in a partial study. Furthermore, they were present in distinct subgroups of the sample: older and younger people (44); and those with concerns about vaccines and those without (38). While all formats proved effective at reducing myth agreement, there were differences where myth belief was high at baseline; and this is arguably the most important audience for myth busting campaigns.…”

“…The question-answer format is currently deployed by the WHO, amongst others, to combat coronavirus misinformation (29). One study has used this approach, using a WHO infographic to correct the myth that garlic is a cure for coronavirus (44), with mixed results: there was no signi cant overall effect on misinformation belief and a back re effect for older adults (55+). It was not their purpose to compare question-answer format to any other approach (they were comparing age groups in UK and Brazil).…”

The Use of Internet and Social Media for Health Information and Its Consequences Among the Population in Saudi Arabia

“…Another study found that those with older age may be more vulnerable to misinformation due to decline in cognitive function and abstract reasoning [28]. Our study also shows that YouTube is also almost as widely used as WhatsApp.…”