Covid-19 conspiracy beliefs increased among conservative and social media users, Penn study finds

Researchers say public health experts should also make more of an effort to reach audiences of conservative media and mainstream media could do a better job at explaining the science behind CDC recommendations. — AFP

People who were heavy users of conservative or social media during the early months of the pandemic experienced increased belief in conspiracies surrounding Covid-19, a new study from researchers with the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania found.

The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research last week, built upon previous research in which 840 adults were surveyed about their views on three popular coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, their media habits, intention to get vaccinated and other Covid-19 precautions in March 2020 and again in July. Participants were asked to rank their levels of belief in the various conspiracy theories from "definitely false" to "definitely true."