Open AccessPrevalence of Misinformation and Factchecks on the COVID-19 Pandemic in 35 Countries: Observational Infodemiology Study
Author(s) -
Meeyoung Cha,
Chiyoung Cha,
Karandeep Singh,
Gabriel Lima,
YongYeol Ahn,
Juhi Kulshrestha,
Onur Varol
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
jmir human factors
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2292-9495
DOI - 10.2196/23279
Subject(s) - misinformation , pandemic , harm , per capita , covid-19 , observational study , medicine , environmental health , business , demography , psychology , political science , disease , social psychology , population , sociology , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by an infodemic, in which a plethora of false information has been rapidly disseminated online, leading to serious harm worldwide. Objective This study aims to analyze the prevalence of common misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We conducted an online survey via social media platforms and a survey company to determine whether respondents have been exposed to a broad set of false claims and fact-checked information on the disease. Results We obtained more than 41,000 responses from 1257 participants in 85 countries, but for our analysis, we only included responses from 35 countries that had at least 15 respondents. We identified a strong negative correlation between a country’s Gross Domestic Product per-capita and the prevalence of misinformation, with poorer countries having a higher prevalence of misinformation (Spearman ρ=–0.72; P <.001). We also found that fact checks spread to a lesser degree than their respective false claims, following a sublinear trend (β=.64). Conclusions Our results imply that the potential harm of misinformation could be more substantial for low-income countries than high-income countries. Countries with poor infrastructures might have to combat not only the spreading pandemic but also the COVID-19 infodemic, which can derail efforts in saving lives.