
In early 2020, when we were all locked up in our homes, waiting to learn more and relying on the internet as our sole source of information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, we all wondered where this mysterious virus came from with little scientific information available. Conspiracy theories ran rampant ranging from a form of warfare to an act of God. Some relied on science but most on those they trusted as reliable sources in the past.
Researchers Kristin Gibson, Katie Sanders and Alexa Lamm strived to identify why certain people believed in various theories regarding the origin of COVID-19 that were not grounded in science. By surveying a sample of the U.S. population while most states were under COVID-19 shelter in place orders they uncovered the information sources people used as well as their social media engagement impacted their engagement in conspiracy theories around COVID-19. Surprisingly, respondents’ critical thinking style did not have a significant impact.
What does this say about science communication?
Trust MUST be established before times of crisis if the scientific community wants to be viewed as reliable. We need to work harder to be transparent as new information emerges and we can’t hesitate in sharing what scientific findings we do have (even if there is so much still unknown) because people will fill in the gaps with misinformation when nothing else is available.
Check out the full article, including nuanced findings, published in SAGE Open here.