COVID-19 Vaccination Status and Level of Trust in Information Sources

Abstract

In the two years since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a large spread of misinformation regarding COVID-19 which can hinder collective action in democratic societies and contribute to distrust in information sources. Nearly 80% of Americans have seen at least one piece of misinformation and either believe it is true or are unsure if it is true (Hamel et al. 2021). A study in the United Kingdom found relationship between level of trust in difference sources of information, belief in conspiracy theories, and spread of misinformation on social media with people’s hesitancy to get vaccinated. This study sought to further understand the relationship between vaccine status and level of trust in different sources of information among UW-Eau Claire students. Participants were also asked whether they thought the pandemic was exaggerated by the media, their level of convenience of wearing a mask, and level of concern about the COVID-19 pandemic.