Examining the Role of Distrust in Science and Social Media Use: Effects on Susceptibility to COVID Misperceptions with Panel Data

Abstract

ABSTRACT Trust in scientific actors and institutions in the United States is at an all-time low. At the same time, studies show that people use social media for science information and become increasingly vulnerable to COVID-19-related misinformation. Yet, we do not know whether low levels of trust cause people to turn to social media in the first place. We argue that if people do not trust the scientific information provided by scientists, they are likely to turn to social media to get alternative scientific information (rather than relying on mainstream sources to get pandemic-related information), which in turn can increase susceptibility to COVID-19 misperceptions. Based on two-wave U.S. panel data, we found that distrust in science drives the uses of social media for COVID-19 information, and reliance on social media for COVID-19 information increases susceptibility to COVID-19 misperceptions.