As COVID-19 swept across the globe, disrupting people’s lives through lockdowns and health concerns, information about how to stay safe and how to identify symptoms spread across media of all forms. Using survey data we collected in April 2020 on a national sample of Americans, we tested the knowledge gap hypothesis by examining how people’s education levels relate to their knowledge about COVID-19 as well as their susceptibility to fake news, and whether information sources moderate this relationship. Our findings suggest that a knowledge gap exists, with those with higher education levels displaying higher levels of knowledge. In contrast, education level did not play a role in believing false information. Moreover, higher news consumption through radio, print newspapers and magazines, and especially social media was associated with lower levels of knowledge and more fake news beliefs. However, news media consumption did not moderate the relationship between education and either knowledge or fake news beliefs, meaning that the media did not explain the education-based knowledge gap during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gerosa, T., Gui, M., Hargittai, E., Hao Nguyen, M. (2021). (Mis)informed During COVID-19: How Education Level and Information Sources Contribute to Knowledge Gaps. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, 15, 2196-2217.

(Mis)informed During COVID-19: How Education Level and Information Sources Contribute to Knowledge Gaps

Tiziano Gerosa
;
Marco Gui;
2021

Abstract

As COVID-19 swept across the globe, disrupting people’s lives through lockdowns and health concerns, information about how to stay safe and how to identify symptoms spread across media of all forms. Using survey data we collected in April 2020 on a national sample of Americans, we tested the knowledge gap hypothesis by examining how people’s education levels relate to their knowledge about COVID-19 as well as their susceptibility to fake news, and whether information sources moderate this relationship. Our findings suggest that a knowledge gap exists, with those with higher education levels displaying higher levels of knowledge. In contrast, education level did not play a role in believing false information. Moreover, higher news consumption through radio, print newspapers and magazines, and especially social media was associated with lower levels of knowledge and more fake news beliefs. However, news media consumption did not moderate the relationship between education and either knowledge or fake news beliefs, meaning that the media did not explain the education-based knowledge gap during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
COVID-19; digital media; fake news; knowledge gap hypothesis; misinformation; traditional media;
English
2021
15
2196
2217
open
Gerosa, T., Gui, M., Hargittai, E., Hao Nguyen, M. (2021). (Mis)informed During COVID-19: How Education Level and Information Sources Contribute to Knowledge Gaps. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, 15, 2196-2217.
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
16438-54784-1-PB.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia di allegato: Publisher’s Version (Version of Record, VoR)
Dimensione 280.36 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
280.36 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/315707
Citazioni
  • Scopus 52
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 38
Social impact