Media Exposure to Conspiracy vs. Anti-conspiracy Information. Effects on the Willingness to Accept a COVID-19 Vaccine

• Authors: Raluca Buturoiu , Georgiana Udrea , Alexandru Cristian Dumitrache , Nicoleta Corbu

Abstracts

EN

The COVID-19 pandemic opened the doors for a corresponding “infodemic”, associated with various misleading narratives related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As the way to stop the pandemic was unveiled, misleading narratives switched from the disease itself to the vaccine. Nevertheless, a rather scarce corpus of literature has approached the effects of these narratives on the willingness to take a vaccine against COVID-19. This study investigates how exposure to conspiracy narratives versus information that counter these narratives influences people’s willingness to get vaccinated. Based on an experimental design, using a sample of Romanian students (N=301), this research shows that exposure to factual information related to COVID-19 vaccines meant to debunk conspiracy theories leads to higher willingness to vaccinate. Furthermore, this study shows that young, educated Romanians consider distant others to be more influenced by conspiracy theories on this topic, and, therefore, more prone to exhibit hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccination.

Keywords

EN

vaccine hesitancy; media exposure; disinformation; conspiracy theories; counter-conspiracy narratives

• Publisher: Polskie Towarzystwo Komunikacji Społecznej
• Journal: Central European Journal of Communication
• Year: 2021
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 2(29)
• Pages: 237-258

Dates

published

2021

Contributors

author

Raluca Buturoiu

• College of Communication and Public Relations, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration

• https://orcid.org/0000000198410929

author

Georgiana Udrea

• College of Communication and Public Relations, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration

author

Alexandru Cristian Dumitrache

• College of Communication and Public Relations, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration

author

Nicoleta Corbu

• College of Communication and Public Relations, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration

• https://orcid.org/0000000196069827

Identifiers

DOI

10.51480/1899-5101.14.2(29).3

Biblioteka Nauki

2042904