Conspiracy beliefs and vaccination intent for COVID-19 in an infodemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The massive, free and unrestricted exchange of information on the social media during the Covid-19 pandemic has set fertile grounds for fear, uncertainty and the rise of fake news related to the virus. This "viral" spread of fake news created an "infodemic" that threatened the compliance with public health guidelines and recommendations.

Objective

This study aims to describe the trust in social media platforms and the exposure to fake news about COVID-19 in Lebanon and to explore their association with vaccination intent.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study conducted in Lebanon during July-August, 2020, a random sample of 1052 participants selected from a mobile-phone database responded to an anonymous structured questionnaire after obtaining informed con

SUBMITTER: Ghaddar A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8754330 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature