Americans who used Trump briefings to obtain COVID-19 information were less likely to wear a mask and distance themselves from society, the study found

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New research finds that watching Donald Trump’s White House briefings is associated with a reduced desire to follow public health guidelines intended to stop the spread of COVID-19 by 2020. The study, which published in the journal Health Communication, indicates that the type of media that people consume during a pandemic is related to their beliefs about COVID-19.

“This study was designed in the early stages of COVID-19 when the world witnessed a wide-ranging infodemic and political public health issues,” said study author Myojung Chung, a assistant professor of journalism and media advocacy at Northeheast University.

“In particular, even if official sources are not always reliable, unreliable information is occasionally spread. The situation has made us wonder how health information from various outlets media or resources that lead to different health perceptions and behaviors. ”

Between June 3 and June 7, 2020, Chung and his colleagues surveyed 1,106 U.S. residents regarding their use of various media sources and their coronavirus-related behaviors and intentions.

The researchers provided participants with a list of liberal and conservative new sources such as BuzzFeed and The Daily Caller, among others and asked them to indicate which ones they used most often to obtain information about the novel coronavirus. Participants also indicated how often they use Trumps briefings, health organizations (e.g., CDC, WHO conclusions), social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), and national TV, radio and / or newspaper to obtain information about COVID -19.

“This study found that depending on the primary source of information during the COVID-19 pandemic, people perceived risk differently and exhibited different levels of intentions to use preventive behaviors. at risk.Such results suggest that in times when there may be a lot of false and misleading information, the importance of accurate, fair, and balanced risk information comes first.Also, this study informs the average news consumers need balanced use of media during public health crises like COVID-19. ”

Those who frequently consume conservative media and use Trump’s briefings to get information are more likely to view the coronavirus as a serious health problem, more likely to view public health advice as effective, and more likely to see easy -to -follow public health advice. This in turn has been attributed to a reduced intention to wear a mask in public, wash hands frequently, keep social distance from others, and stay home when not feeling well.

“This study was conducted when Donald Trump from the Republican Party was the president of the United States. We wonder how the results would be if this study was conducted in the current administration with a Democratic president,” he said. said Chung.

Those who obtained their COVID-19 information from liberal media, briefs of health organizations and traditional media were more likely to view the coronavirus as a serious health problem and more likely to view public health advice that easy to follow. This in turn is associated with an increased desire to use risk-avoidance behaviors.

Participants who used liberal and traditional media also viewed themselves as at greater risk of being infected with the deadly virus, while those who used social media to obtain information about COVID-19 noticed their self less at risk.

The researchers controlled for potential cofounding variables such as age, gender, race, education, household income, COVID-19 experience, and political perspectives. But the study – like all research – includes some limitations.

“This study examined respondents’ intentions to follow public health recommendations to prevent COVID-19 infection, but not their actual behavior. Future research will examine these. real behavior will provide a more complete understanding of the role of different media uses, ”Chung explains.

“Because we used cross-sectional data, it is difficult to confirm any inferences caused by this study. Future studies using experiments or longitudinal interventions will help to better our analysis. understanding communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. “

The study, “Red Media, Blue Media, Trump Briefings, and COVID-19: Examining How Information Sources Predict Risk Prevention through Threat and Effectiveness,” was authored by Myojung Chung and S. Mo Jones-Jang.

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