Public anxiety and distrust due to perceived politicization and media sensationalism during early COVID-19 media messaging

Scoy, Lauren Jodi Van; Snyder, Bethany; Miller, Erin; Toyobo, Olubukola; Grewel, Ashmita; Ha, Giang Hai; Gillespie, Sarah; Patel, Megha; Reilly, Jordyn; Zgierska, Aleksandra; Lennon, Robert P.

doi:10.1080/17538068.2021.1953934

Cited by 47 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…19 It is reasonable to think more people trust vaccines, the more they will take the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the infodemic that inundated the world during the COVID-19 has changed vaccine acceptance, [20][21][22][23] -which directly shows that media sensationalism is linked to distrust in COVID and COVID-19 vaccines appear to have different predictors of acceptance than previous vaccine. 24 To the best knowledge of the researchers, there was a limited evidence regarding the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine by college students in Ethiopia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and its Predictors among College Students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Sahile¹,

Mulugeta²,

Hadush³

et al. 2022

PPA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background:The coronavirus disease pandemic disrupted the normal social and economic activities of the people resulting in over 3 million deaths worldwide. Piece of literature depicted that predictors of vaccine acceptance are complex, multiple, and vary depending on the type of vaccine involved. Objective:The study aimed at assessing the COVID-19 acceptance and its predictors among college students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021. Methods: A multi-center-institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 407 participants from three institutions in Addis Ababa selected based on a simple random sampling method from May 01 to July 30, 2021. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for the collection of data, after which informed consent was obtained from all the included study participants. Descriptive statistics was used for the summarization of the data. Binary (bivariate and multivariate) logistic regression was applied for the identification predictors of vaccine acceptance with their respective 95% confidence interval and less than 5% p-value for the ascertainment of presence of association.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and its Predictors among College Students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Sahile¹,

Mulugeta²,

Hadush³

et al. 2022

PPA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…One method of extrication might be through the use of an audience segmentation approach, including unpacking complex relationships of trust and race in relation to COVID-19 behaviors. This may be important in the US, where some that adhere to government recommendations lack trust in the US government [ 33 ], suggesting trust is only one factor in determining a person’s belief in the efficacy of, and compliance with, a given public health recommendation [ 34 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cross-sectional international study shows confidence in public health scientists predicts use of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions

Goldfinch

Taplin

2022

BMC Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background We examine the antecedents of COVID-19 phone tracking applications use, social distancing, and mask use, in the United States, Hong Kong and Japan. Methods We draw on online panel surveys of over 1000 respondents each in the USA, Hong Kong and Japan, using broadly representative quota sample selections. Results are tested by ordinal logistic regression for the two ordinal dependent variables and logistic regression for phone app use. Results Confidence in public health scientists predicts use of phone tracking applications, social distancing, and mask use, albeit statistically insignificant for tracer phone application use in Hong Kong. Trust in government predicts the use of a phone tracking application. Counterintuitively, trust in government is negatively and significantly associated with mask use and social distancing in Hong Kong and Japan. Women are more likely to wear masks and practice social distancing. Government employees are more likely to use a phone tracking application, but less likely to mask and social distance. Voting and civic participation are positively associated with trust in government and confidence in public health scientists, in all three countries. There are interesting variations across all three countries on other antecedents and controls. Conclusions Building and maintaining confidence in public health scientists provides a key tool to manage pandemics. Credible, effectively communicative – and independent – medical and scientific leaders may be central to pandemic control success. For digital measures, trust in government and privacy protection is central. Political and social factors are important to understand successful public health policy implementation.

show abstract

“…Participants expressed frustration at perceived slow societal response to the pandemic and perceived lack of standardized plan for the country. We previously reported substantial distrust in the executive branch of government related to messaging and information dissemination [26]. Separate from this distrust was a strong dissatisfaction with the governmental response to the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The size and depth of each category required separate treatment of each. This manuscript reports on codes related to othering; distrust and media messaging concerns are reported separately [8,23]. The 'us-versus them' framework was applied to the data after the initial coding and preliminary analysis.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

‘Us-Versus-Them’: Othering in COVID-19 public health behavior compliance

Scoy

Snyder²,

Miller³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective We explored public perceptions about the COVID-19 pandemic to learn how those attitudes may affect compliance with health behaviors. Methods Participants were Central Pennsylvania adults from diverse backgrounds purposively sampled (based on race, gender, educational attainment, and healthcare worker status) who responded to a mixed methods survey, completed between March 25–31, 2020. Four open-ended questions were analyzed, including: “What worries you most about the COVID-19 pandemic?” We applied a pragmatic, inductive coding process to conduct a qualitative, descriptive content analysis of responses. Results Of the 5,948 respondents, 538 were sampled for this qualitative analysis. Participants were 58% female, 56% with ≥ bachelor’s degree, and 50% from minority racial backgrounds. Qualitative descriptive analysis revealed four themes related to respondents’ health and societal concerns: lack of faith in others; fears of illness or death; frustration at perceived slow societal response; and a desire for transparency in communicating local COVID-19 information. An “us-versus-them” subtext emerged; participants attributed non-compliance with COVID-19 behaviors to other groups, setting themselves apart from those Others. Conclusion Our study uncovered Othering undertones in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, occurring between groups of like-minded individuals with behavioral differences in ‘compliance’ versus ‘non-compliance’ with public health recommendations. Addressing the ‘us-versus-them’ mentality may be important for boosting compliance with recommended health behaviors.

show abstract

Public anxiety and distrust due to perceived politicization and media sensationalism during early COVID-19 media messaging

Cited by 47 publications

References 35 publications

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and its Predictors among College Students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021: A Cross-Sectional Survey

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and its Predictors among College Students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021: A Cross-Sectional Survey

A cross-sectional international study shows confidence in public health scientists predicts use of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions

‘Us-Versus-Them’: Othering in COVID-19 public health behavior compliance

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About