Association of COVID-19 Misinformation with Face Mask Wearing and Social Distancing in a Nationally Representative US Sample

Abstract

Widespread misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic has presented challenges for communicating public health recommendations. Should campaigns to promote protective behaviors focus on debunking misinformation or targeting behavior-specific beliefs? To address this question, we examine whether belief in COVID-19 misinformation is directly associated with two behaviors (face mask wearing and social distancing), and whether behavior-specific beliefs can account for this association and better predict behavior, consistent with behavior-change theory. We conducted a nationally representative two-wave survey of U.S. adults from 5/26/20-6/12/20 (n = 1074) and 7/15/20-7/21//20 (n = 889; follow-up response 83%). Scales were developed and validated for COVID-19 related misinformation beliefs, social distancing and face mask wearing, and beliefs about the consequences of both behaviors. Cross-lagged panel linear regression models assessed relationships among the variables. While belief in misinformation was negatively associated with both face mask wearing (B = −.27, SE =.06) and social-distancing behaviors (B = −.46, SE =.08) measured at the same time, misinformation did not predict concurrent or lagged behavior when the behavior-specific beliefs were incorporated in the models. Beliefs about behavioral outcomes accounted for face mask wearing and social distancing, both cross-sectionally (B =.43, SE =.05; B =.63, SE =.09) and lagged over time (B =.20, SE = 04; B =.30, SE =.08). In conclusion, belief in COVID-19related misinformation is less relevant to protective behaviors, but beliefs about the consequences of these behaviors are important predictors. With regard to misinformation, we recommend health campaigns aimed at promoting protective behaviors emphasize the benefits of these behaviors, rather than debunking unrelated false claims. Past studies Concern about misinformation predates the COVID-19 pandemic. Much attention has been paid to the proliferation of political misinformation, particularly in the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election (Guess et al., 2020), and how to effectively counter it (Cook et al., 2015). Misinformation is comparatively understudied in the health domain (Kreps & Kriner, 2020; Southwell et al., 2019). There is some evidence that belief in specific false health information is associated with undesirable outcomes, including lowered vaccination rates (Jolley & Douglas, 2014; Oliver & Wood, 2014), reduced contraceptive use (Thorburn & Bogart, 2005), and nonadherence to antiretroviral treatment (Bogart et al., 2010), although overall, the research is limited and the findings mixed (Nan et al., in press).

Who Believes in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories in Croatia? Prevalence and Predictors of Conspiracy Beliefs

“…For example, civic attitudes (Roma et al, 2020) and trust in science and scientists (Dohle et al, 2020;Hromatko et al, 2021) are found to be positively related to adherence to COVID-19 protective measures. However, while some previous research, consistent with this study, show that education is negatively related to beliefs in conspiracies (Hornik et al, 2021), some other show that education is not a significant predictor (Hromatko et al, 2021;Karić and Mededović, 2021) or is even negatively related to compliance to protective measures (Roma et al, 2020). These results suggest that the relationship of education with belief in conspiracies and adherence to protective measures is not straightforward.…”

“…Similarly, correlation with age was found in studies by Freeman et al (2020), Constantinou et al (2020), Earnshaw et al (2020), although the correlation differed in sample size. Regarding education, income, and religiosity, previous research demonstrated relationships in line with lower-income and education levels (Constantinou et al, 2020;Hornik et al, 2021) and a higher level of religiosity (Alper et al, 2020), which were related to a higher endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories.…”

Spring 2020 COVID-19 Surge: Prospective Relations between Demographic Factors, Personality Traits, Social Cognitions and Guideline Adherence, Mask Wearing, and Symptoms in a U.S. Sample

“…Related research has shown intentions to be associated with social distancing behavior and other preventive behaviors, including hand washing, respiratory hygiene, and staying at home [ 4 , 5 , 8 ]. Evidence suggests more frequent mask-wearing is positively associated with beliefs about related behavioral outcomes, need for cognition, self-control, risk aversion, and more liberal political orientation and negatively associated with beliefs in misinformation [ 9 , 10 ].…”

The Presumed Influence of COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media: Survey Research from Two Countries in the Global Health Crisis

“…Within the limited discussion on the persistent negative influence of misinformation, scholars (e.g., [ 7 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]) in the field of health and digital communication began to investigate individuals’ perceived impact of misleading information online. Liu and Huang [ 26 ], for instance, published their latest article about the third-person effects of fake news about COVID-19.…”

“…When people face uncertainties due to this disease and continuously social distance, social media platforms provide a critical role in fulfilling diversified gratifications, such as information needs, social needs to connect with friends and families, and fun or enjoyment obtained from entertainment [ 4 , 5 ]. However, without prudent journalistic judgments of media content online, misinformation, referring to false and misleading information, began circulating rapidly on social media [ 6 , 7 ]. For instance, misinformation has made many people believe that using salt water or drinking bleach could kill the virus during the pandemic [ 8 ].…”