Why do people believe health misinformation and who is at risk? A systematic review of individual differences in susceptibility to health misinformation

Nan, XL (通讯作者),Dept Commun, 2102 Skinner Bldg,4300 Chapel Ln Coll Pk, College Pk, MD 20742 USA.
2022-12
Rationale: Health misinformation poses a significant threat to public health. Understanding why people believe health misinformation and who is at risk is crucial for developing effective interventions to reduce the harmful impact of misinformation. Approach: We conducted a systematic review of published empirical research that examined individual differences in susceptibility to health misinformation, focusing on the psychological, demographic, and behavioral correlates of health misinformation susceptibility. To guide our review on psychological correlates, we developed an integrative psychological model of susceptibility to health misinformation based on one's ability and motivation to reason. Results: We identified 47 publications (61 empirical studies) that met our criteria. Our review suggests that subject knowledge, literacy and numeracy, analytical thinking (vs. intuitive thinking), and trust in science confer strong resistance to health misinformation, whereas conspiracy thinking, religiosity, conservative ideology, and conservative party identification are associated with more susceptibility to health misinformation. Demographically, older age and higher educational attainment predict less susceptibility to health misinformation, whereas racial minority status is associated with greater susceptibility. Behaviorally, relying on health professionals or scientists as information sources predicts less susceptibility to health misinformation, whereas social media use is associated with greater susceptibility. Conclusions: Susceptibility to health misinformation is driven by multiple psychological processes. Interventions for reducing the spread and impact of health misinformation should be tailored to the psychological mechanism underlying susceptibility to health misinformation. Limited resources should be used to support interventions targeted at individuals at risk.
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
卷号:314
ISSN:0277-9536|收录类别:SCIE
语种
英语
来源机构
University System of Maryland; University of Maryland College Park
被引频次(WOS)
1
被引频次(其他)
1
180天使用计数
12
2013以来使用计数
12
EISSN
1873-5347
出版年
2022-12
DOI
10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115398
关键词
Misinformation Public health Communication Literacy Analytical thinking Political ideology Social media
WOS学科分类
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health Social Sciences, Biomedical
学科领域
循证公共卫生 循证社会科学-综合