Research: COVID-19 (news) The medium was a message

Members of the Research Panel said they trust as further evidence of the politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fox news is more than CNN Admitted that there are significantly fewer high-risk and preventative behaviors compared to those who trust CNN is more than fox..

In addition, the gap between these groups widened after May, even after adjusting for education, income, and other potential confounders, said Erfei Zhao, a PhD student at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues. I reported. writing BMJ Global Health..

The authors discussed the relationship between political prejudice and health behavior in the media, but added that they were also interested in research.[behavioral] It changes during the pandemic process associated with the prejudice of trusted media sources. “

” CNN Had a more consistent story that was consistent with the views and recommendations of health professionals during the study period, Fox news We continued to change their story to reflect the views of Republican leaders. ” fox Researchers stopped calling the virus a “crisis” in April and instead emphasized “the economic importance of American health and well-being.”

Zhao et al. Used data from the Understanding America Study COVID-19 Survey National Sample, a continuous national probability-weighted Internet panel for 9,000 adults. The survey began with a pandemic follow-up on March 10, followed every two weeks starting April 1. Five waves of survey data were available from March to June.

Respondents wear face masks, wash their hands, or use hand sanitizers several times a day, postpone personal or social activities, avoid eating in restaurants, public spaces, meetings, or crowds I was asked about public health behavior over the last 7 days, including avoiding. ..

They were also asked if they were engaged in dangerous public health activities, such as going to bars or clubs. Visit the residence of a friend, neighbor, or relative. Place a visitor in your home. Or attend a gathering of 10 or more people, including weddings, funerals, religious services, birthday parties, concerts, and more.

Respondents were asked how much they trusted sources of information about the coronavirus, and based on the answers, researchers created three variables. CNN is more than Fox news, Those who have equal or no taste, and those who trust Fox news is more than CNN..

Overall, about 29% said they trust CNN is more than fox, 52% said they didn’t like it and 20% said they trusted it fox is more than CNN.. Within the sample, 42% were 18-44 years old, about 36% were 46-64 years old, and 23% were 65 years old or older. Two-thirds of the samples were non-Hispanic Caucasians.

Researchers have observed that preventive behavior peaks from April 1st to April 29th, but then begins to decline. The exception was wearing a mask, which was stable at the end of the study period but increased over time.

The last two waves of the study, around May and early June, are examples, and Zhao’s group found a significant reduction in preventive behavior among trusted people. fox Compared to those who like CNN..From the perspective of dangerous behavior, “the positive effect of preference Fox news dangerous [behaviors] It has been significantly strengthened. “

Obvious restrictions on research included the difficulty of establishing a causal relationship between people’s media preferences and their health behavior. Zhao et al. Said that no causal relationship could be identified from their data.

Finally, the author warned both sides of the dangers of mixing party information with public health.

“Despite being one of the few effective ways to slow the spread of the virus in the absence of a vaccine, the health message is destined for the media to fail. [prioritize] Political benefits to the health of the population. “