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

Information flows can affect people’s apprehension of the pan- demic 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 ana- lyzed 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 as- sociated with differences in terms of reported sources, types, and reliability assessments of retrieved information. Sex and education levels were associ- ated 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 tra- ditional 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 infor- mation and its effects on consumers is motivated, as this may in turn affect people’s attitudes and behavior relating to the pandemic.