The Role of News Consumption and Trust in Public Health Leadership in Shaping COVID-19 Knowledge and Prejudice.

ABSTRACT: The novelty of COVID-19 has created unique challenges to successful public health efforts because it has required the public to quickly learn and formulate knowledge and attitudes about the virus as information becomes available. The need to stay apprised of new information has also created a critical role for mass media and public institutions in shaping the public's knowledge of, attitudes about, and responses to the unfolding pandemic. In this study, we examine how media consumption and reliance on specific institutions for information shapes three critical outcomes associated with public health epidemics: the accumulation of knowledge and the endorsement of misinformation about COVID-19, and prejudicial responses to the virus. We surveyed 1,141 adults residing across the United States

SUBMITTER: Dhanani LY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7642623 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature