Misinformation and public opinion of science and health: Approaches, findings, and future directions

Cacciatore, Michael A.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1912437117

Cited by 56 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…Vaccine conspiracy beliefs (VB) were identified as the construct most strongly associated with vaccine hesitancy in the general model and seems to relate, at the same time, to the recent global pattern in which availability and access to information foster in individuals a "false empowerment" and a sense of control over diseases that outweigh the need for vaccines produced by "suspicious laboratories and countries" [45][46][47].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Portuguese-Speaking Countries: A Structural Equations Modeling Approach

et al. 2021

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COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (VH) has caused concerns due to the possible fluctuations that may occur directly impacting the control of the pandemic. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19 VH in Portuguese-speaking countries. We developed a web survey (N:6,843) using an online, structured, and validated questionnaire. We used Measurement Models, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Structural Equation Models, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the data analysis. The overall prevalence of COVID-19 VH in Portuguese-speaking countries was 21.1%. showed a statistically significant direct effect for VH: vaccine-related conspiracy beliefs (VB) (β = 0.886), perceived stress (PS) (β = 0.313), COVID-19 Misinformation (MIS) (β = 0.259) and individual responses to COVID-19 (CIR) (β = −0.122). The effect of MIS and CIR for VH was greater among men and of PS and VB among women; the effect of PS was greater among the youngest and of VB and CIR among the oldest. No discrepant differences were identified in the analyzed education strata. In conclusion, we found that conspiracy beliefs related to the vaccine strongly influence the decision to hesitate (not to take or to delay the vaccine). Specific characteristics related to gender, age group, social and cognitive vulnerabilities, added to the knowledge acquired, poorly substantiated and/or misrepresented about the COVID-19 vaccine, need to be considered in the planning of vaccination campaigns. It is necessary to respond in a timely, fast, and accurate manner to the challenges posed by vaccine hesitancy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Portuguese-Speaking Countries: A Structural Equations Modeling Approach

et al. 2021

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“…This lack of clear attention to the need to simultaneously assess both the accuracy of claims and their relative threat contributes to disjointed academic insights (Jerit and Zhao 2020), creates difficulty applying research in practice, and leaves us unable to judge whether emerging meta-analyses are treating conceptually distinct studies of “misinformation” as interchangeable (e.g., Walter and Tukachinsky 2019). “Misinformation” is also becoming a near-meaningless catch-all term for “studies focused on the proliferation and impacts of false information” (Cacciatore 2021, 1), with many studies (including some of our own) utilizing oversimplified operationalizations or offering no definition of misinformation whatsoever (for examples, see Vraga and Bode 2021; Freiling, Krause, Scheufele, and Brossard 2021; Nyhan et al 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The “Infodemic” Infodemic: Toward a More Nuanced Understanding of Truth-Claims and the Need for (Not) Combatting Misinformation

Krause¹,

Freiling²,

Scheufele³

2022

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Scie

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Scholarship on (mis)information does not easily translate into recommendations for policy-makers and policy influencers who wish to judge the accuracy of science-related truth claims. This is partly due to much of this literature being based on lab experiments with captive audiences that tell us little about the durability or scalability of any potential intervention in the real world. More importantly, the “accuracy” of scientific truth claims is much more difficult to define than many scholars in this space acknowledge. Uncertainties associated with the nature of science, sociopolitical climates, and media systems introduce compounding error in assessments of claim accuracy. We, therefore, need a more nuanced understanding of misinformation and disinformation than those often present in discussions of the “infodemic.” Here, we propose a new framework for evaluating science-related truth claims and apply it to real-world examples. We conclude by discussing implications for research and action on (mis)information, given that distinguishing between true and false claims is not as easy as it is sometimes purported to be.

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“…That is why the authors support the approach used in research where students are the analytic unit and can be decisive to find ethical arguments in the population. It has also been corroborated that a lack of education and knowledge can be associated with the acceptance of GMOs (Cacciatore, 2021). According to the Dunning-Kruger model, the population's limited knowledge fosters high certainty of rejection towards GMOs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Attitudes of the Ecuadorian University Community Toward Genetically Modified Organisms

Collazo

Guerrero

Mejia

et al. 2022

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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Introduction: The acceptance of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) by the civilian population in Ecuador is a controversial issue, where beliefs and practices are determinant. In Ecuador, the use of GMOs for research or productive purposes has been banned since 2008; however, the current position of the population toward this technology is unknown.Objective: The aim of the study was to explain the attitude toward GMOs in the Ecuadorian university population based on sociodemographic variables, knowledge, beliefs, practices, and bioethical approach.Methods: A validated survey was applied to 719 students and teachers of the Catholic University of Cuenca through Google Forms. The collected data were processed using SPSS 23.0 software. Multivariate and linear regression analyses were used to explain the attitude toward GMOs based on the variables studied.Results: Partial approval of GMO use is research-oriented, with a rejection toward food. The linear regression model explained 65% of the variance of attitude toward GMOs from the beliefs, practices, knowledge, and bioethical approach variables. The sociodemographic variables were completely excluded from the model due to the absence of statistical significance.Conclusions: The incipient acceptance of GMOs in the academic sector corroborates a transformation in the thinking of Ecuadorian civil society. Considerations on the use of GMOs are supported by a bioethical approach that leans toward a pragmatic utilitarianism based on the immediate or mediate benefits of the technology.

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Misinformation and public opinion of science and health: Approaches, findings, and future directions

Cited by 56 publications

References 88 publications

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Portuguese-Speaking Countries: A Structural Equations Modeling Approach

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Portuguese-Speaking Countries: A Structural Equations Modeling Approach

The “Infodemic” Infodemic: Toward a More Nuanced Understanding of Truth-Claims and the Need for (Not) Combatting Misinformation

Attitudes of the Ecuadorian University Community Toward Genetically Modified Organisms

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