University of Twente Student Theses
The Human Fact-Checker : Individual Characteristics That Lead to Different Interpretations of COVID-19 (Fake) News
Groothuis, M.G.F. (2022) The Human Fact-Checker : Individual Characteristics That Lead to Different Interpretations of COVID-19 (Fake) News.
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| Abstract: | COVID-19 related fake news can affect people’s adherence to public health guidelines and hinder governments’ efforts to fight COVID-19. This highlights the importance of understanding why some people are better than others at distinguishing correctly between real and fake news. This study examined to what extent cognitive capacity, risk perception (regarding both COVID-19 and the vaccine), and institutional trust predicted the ability to distinguish correctly between real and fake news. Moreover, it was examined whether systematic processing played a mediating role between the relationships of these variables. This was investigated through a non-probability sampling method in which an online questionnaire was distributed in the Netherlands. Respondents (N = 235) had to indicate if presented news items were perceived as real, fake, or whether it was unknown, and to what extent they agreed with statements to measure the individual characteristics. The results showed that systematic processing, risk perception regarding COVID-19, and institutional trust were significantly and positively correlated with the ability to distinguish correctly between real and fake news. Risk perception regarding the vaccine was significantly and negatively correlated with the ability to distinguish correctly between real and fake news. Cognitive capacity was not significantly correlated with the ability to distinguish correctly between real and fake news. In addition, systematic processing marginally significantly mediated the relationship between risk perception regarding COVID-19 and the ability to distinguish correctly between real and fake news. Based on the findings, this study provided new information concerning the individual characteristics that make people less susceptible to fake news. Therefore, this study can be used as a baseline for future studies. Furthermore, interventions can be designed to minimise the negative effects of fake news by targeting the most susceptible individuals. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/94015 |
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