Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Sociodemographic Factors’ Influence on the Consumption and Assessment of COVID-19 Related Information –An International Web-Based Survey

Stjernswärd, Sigrid LU orcid ; Ivert, Anna-Karin and Glasdam, Stinne LU (2021) In Journal of Media Research 14(2(40)). p.26-44
Abstract
Information flows can affect people’s apprehension of the pandemic and related behaviors. The aim is to explore how people access and assess COVID-19 information and whether sociodemographic factors are associated with these processes. Quantitative data from 928 persons from 29 countries who participated in an international web-based survey was analyzed with descriptive and analytic statistics. Television, newspapers and social media were common sources to search for certain types of COVID-19 information. Age, educational level, employment status and sex were associated with differences in terms of reported sources, types, and reliability assessments of retrieved information. Sex and education levels were associated with differences... (More)
Information flows can affect people’s apprehension of the pandemic and related behaviors. The aim is to explore how people access and assess COVID-19 information and whether sociodemographic factors are associated with these processes. Quantitative data from 928 persons from 29 countries who participated in an international web-based survey was analyzed with descriptive and analytic statistics. Television, newspapers and social media were common sources to search for certain types of COVID-19 information. Age, educational level, employment status and sex were associated with differences in terms of reported sources, types, and reliability assessments of retrieved information. Sex and education levels were associated with differences pertaining to main sources and kinds of information searched. Younger respondents reported more frequent uses of social media than older respondents. Older respondents assessed information from traditional media as more reliable information from social media. The current results show trends about where and how information is accessed and assessed during the pandemic. Some associations with sociodemographic factors were found, but the study’s cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences. Further research on consumption patterns of COVID-19 information and its effects on consumers is motivated, as this may in turn affect people’s attitudes and behavior relating to the pandemic. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Information flows can affect people’s apprehension of the pandemic and related behaviors. The aim is to explore how people access and assess COVID-19 information and whether sociodemographic factors are associated with these processes. Quantitative data from 928 persons from 29 countries who participated in an international web-based survey was analyzed with descriptive and analytic statistics. Television, newspapers and social media were common sources to search for certain types of COVID-19 information. Age, educational level, employment status and sex were associated with differences in terms of reported sources, types, and reliability assessments of retrieved information. Sex and education levels were associated with differences... (More)
Information flows can affect people’s apprehension of the pandemic and related behaviors. The aim is to explore how people access and assess COVID-19 information and whether sociodemographic factors are associated with these processes. Quantitative data from 928 persons from 29 countries who participated in an international web-based survey was analyzed with descriptive and analytic statistics. Television, newspapers and social media were common sources to search for certain types of COVID-19 information. Age, educational level, employment status and sex were associated with differences in terms of reported sources, types, and reliability assessments of retrieved information. Sex and education levels were associated with differences pertaining to main sources and kinds of information searched. Younger respondents reported more frequent uses of social media than older respondents. Older respondents assessed information from traditional media as more reliable information from social media. The current results show trends about where and how information is accessed and assessed during the pandemic. Some associations with sociodemographic factors were found, but the study’s cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences. Further research on consumption patterns of COVID-19 information and its effects on consumers is motivated, as this may in turn affect people’s attitudes and behavior relating to the pandemic. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Journal of Media Research
volume
14
issue
2(40)
pages
26 - 44
publisher
Accent Publisher
ISSN
1844-8887
DOI
10.24193/jmr.40.2
project
Social media and COVID-19
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
c83a8e5f-155c-42b6-b3b4-6767f437ff6e
date added to LUP
2021-07-11 11:05:59
date last changed
2021-10-22 10:29:10
@article{c83a8e5f-155c-42b6-b3b4-6767f437ff6e,
  abstract     = {{Information flows can affect people’s apprehension of the pandemic and related behaviors. The aim is to explore how people access and assess COVID-19 information and whether sociodemographic factors are associated with these processes. Quantitative data from 928 persons from 29 countries who participated in an international web-based survey was analyzed with descriptive and analytic statistics. Television, newspapers and social media were common sources to search for certain types of COVID-19 information. Age, educational level, employment status and sex were associated with differences in terms of reported sources, types, and reliability assessments of retrieved information. Sex and education levels were associated with differences pertaining to main sources and kinds of information searched. Younger respondents reported more frequent uses of social media than older respondents. Older respondents assessed information from traditional media as more reliable information from social media. The current results show trends about where and how information is accessed and assessed during the pandemic. Some associations with sociodemographic factors were found, but the study’s cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences. Further research on consumption patterns of COVID-19 information and its effects on consumers is motivated, as this may in turn affect people’s attitudes and behavior relating to the pandemic.}},
  author       = {{Stjernswärd, Sigrid and Ivert, Anna-Karin and Glasdam, Stinne}},
  issn         = {{1844-8887}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  number       = {{2(40)}},
  pages        = {{26--44}},
  publisher    = {{Accent Publisher}},
  series       = {{Journal of Media Research}},
  title        = {{Sociodemographic Factors’ Influence on the Consumption and Assessment of COVID-19 Related Information –An International Web-Based Survey}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.24193/jmr.40.2}},
  doi          = {{10.24193/jmr.40.2}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}