Vulnerability to rumours during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore

Abstract

Introduction: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many rumours have emerged. Given prior research linking rumour exposure to mental well-being, we conducted a nationwide survey to document the base rate of rumour exposure and factors associated with rumour vulnerability. Methods: Between March and July 2020, 1,237 participants were surveyed on 5 widely disseminated COVID-19 rumours (drinking water frequently could be preventive, eating garlic could be preventive, the outbreak arose because of bat soup consumption, the virus was created in an American lab, and the virus was created in a Chinese lab). For each rumour, participants reported whether they had heard, shared or believed each rumour. Results: Although most participants had been exposed to COVID-19 rumours, few shared or believed these. Sharing behaviours sometimes occurred in the absence of belief; however, education emerged as a protective factor for both sharing and belief. Conclusion: Our results suggest that campaigns targeting skills associated with higher education (e.g. epistemology) may prove more effective than counter-rumour messages.

Confidence in government and rumors amongst migrant worker men involved in dormitory outbreaks of COVID-19: A cross-sectional survey

“…As a context, we compared participants’ responses to earlier community surveys that had been conducted within the Singapore resident population [ 22 , 23 ]. Relative to the wider population, a higher percentage of migrant workers: (i) were confident that the government could control the spread of COVID-19 (90.0% vs. 86.2%; χ 2 [1, N = 2071] = 6.76, p = 0.009), and (ii) judged it unlikely that they would be infected (79.2% vs. 60.9%; χ 2 [1, N = 1711] = 60.93, p < 0.001).…”

“…For example, the most widely-heard rumor in our sample was that drinking water prevents infection. This same rumor was the least heard in the resident population, who instead reported high exposure to conspiratorial rumors (e.g., that COVID-19 originated from bat soup, an American lab, or a Chinese lab [23] ). Given differing patterns of rumor exposure, our findings make a strong case that risk communication should be tailored for migrant worker communities.…”

“…To assess rumor spread, participants also indicated whether they had heard, believed, or shared each of the following COVID-19 rumors (yes / no): (1) drinking water frequently will help prevent infection (COVID-19 prevention); (2) eating garlic can help prevent infection (COVID-19 prevention); (3) the outbreak arose from people eating bat soup (COVID-19 origins); (4) the virus was created in a US lab to affect China's economy (COVID-19 origins); and (5) the virus was created in a Chinese lab as a bioweapon (COVID-19 origins). On a global scale, these rumors have been widely disseminated and have been studied in other surveys [23] . To provide further context, we also asked participants to estimate how much time they spent each day: (i) looking for updates about COVID-19 (e.g., searching and reading news, browsing websites, watching videos), and (ii) using social media (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok) to discuss or share information about COVID-19.…”

“…The city state is widely considered a ‘high performing health system’ on account of its low case fatality rate (0.05%) and minimal movement restrictions [21] . Surveys of the general population allude to high public confidence in the government, and low rates of sharing or belief in COVID-19 rumors [ 4 , 22 , 23 ]. Despite these statistics, Singapore provides a case study of health inequalities.…”

Students' Motivations for Not Sharing Rumours during the COVID‐19 Pandemic in Singapore

“…Using the case of the COVID‐19 outbreak in Singapore where exposure to COVID‐19 misinformation has been widespread (Long et al, 2021 ), a study was done by the authors to investigate the motivations behind college students' decisions to share or not share COVID‐19‐related rumours on WhatsApp, and how the motivations varied by rumour type (dread or wish). Dread rumours refer to those that spell doom and gloom while wish rumours invoke desirable consequences.…”