The role of race, religion, and partisanship in misperceptions about COVID-19

Abstract

Concerns about misperceptions among the public are rampant. Yet, little work explores the correlates of misperceptions in varying contexts – that is, how do factors such as group affiliations, media exposure, and lived experiences correlate with the number of misperceptions people hold? We address these questions by investigating misperceptions about COVID-19, focusing on the role of racial/ethnic, religious, and partisan groups. Using a large survey, we find the number of correct beliefs held by individuals far dwarfs the number of misperceptions. When it comes to misperceptions, we find that minorities, those with high levels of religiosity, and those with strong partisan identities – across parties – hold a substantially greater number of misperceptions than those with contrasting group affiliations. Moreover, we show other variables (e.g., social media usage, number of COVID-19 cases in one’s county) do not have such strong relationships with misperceptions, and the group-level results do not reflect acquiescence to believing any information regardless of its truth value. Our results accentuate the importance of studying group-level misperceptions on other scientific and political issues and developing targeted interventions for these groups.

Association of Major Depressive Symptoms With Endorsement of COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation Among US Adults

“…For cross-sectional analysis, as in our prior work, 4 we categorized any accurate responses as reflecting belief in misinformation. For longitudinal analysis, we categorized an increase in the number of statements labeled accurate as worsening belief in misinformation, for example, going from no statements labeled accurate in the first wave to 1 or more statements labeled accurate in the second wave.…”

“…2,3 While misinformation is increasingly well studied, most of this work has concentrated on how and why such misinformation spreads. Less understood are individual characteristics, beyond simple demographics and political affiliation, associated with greater susceptibility to misinformation, such as examined in a study by Druckman et al 4 Notably, misleading news stories inspiring negative emotions, such as disgust, have been found to spread more rapidly on social media. 5 A general bias toward negativity in information selection, processing, and recall 6,7 may exacerbate misinformation exposure.…”

Politicization and COVID-19 vaccine resistance in the U.S.

“… 104 When combined with the politicization of science, the results can be disastrous for objective reasoning in individual and collective decision-making. 105 What can science practitioners do to combat the deleterious impacts of politicization in the specific case of resistance to the COVID-19 vaccine? In addition to individual activities on the part of scientists themselves, there are several take-aways for life scientists and health professionals.…”

A group processes approach to antiscience beliefs and endorsement of “alternative facts”

“…How does group affiliation correlate with misperceptions about COVID-19? Druckman et al (2021) investigate such misperceptions focusing on the role of race, religion, and partisanship. Each of these variables are found to play a role; members of minority groups, individuals with high levels of religiosity, and people with strong partisan identities (on both sides of the political spectrum) hold more misperceptions about COVID-19 than those with contrasting group affiliations.…”