During a pandemic like Coronavirus, most of us either turn to our television screens or social media apps for updated news. However, with the rise in the spread of misinformation, are all news sources reliable?
Pew Research Center recently conducted a survey that shows information divide between people who get their news from social networks and those who are dependable on traditional news sources.
In their survey, Pew queried more than 8,900 US-based adults, dividing them by the main news source they use to consume political and election news.
In the group of participants that claimed to get most of their news from social media, only 37% said that they expected a vaccine to combat coronavirus to be made available in a year or more. This answer was aligned with the current scientific claims as well. Other samples, with the exception of the local TV group, 50% of the participants answered accurately.
However, a third of respondents who used social media for their news updates said that they were not sure about the vaccine and its availability.
Additionally, 57% of the people who relied on social media for news said they had come across at least some news regarding the pandemic that seemed surreal or made up. The statistic was around 37% when the same question was asked to those who consumed their news via print media.
Interestingly, 45% of the social media news consumer found the media to be exaggerating the risks of the contagious disease. Radio news consumers also believed the same with 44% saying that the media is exaggerating a little more than necessary.
When it came to print media, only 26% of the consumers found the COVID-19 news ‘stretched’ while others believed in what they were paying for.
Do let us know where you get your daily dose of coronavirus news from in the comments!
Read next: Research Proves Why YouTubers Watch What They Watch In A Day
Pew Research Center recently conducted a survey that shows information divide between people who get their news from social networks and those who are dependable on traditional news sources.
In their survey, Pew queried more than 8,900 US-based adults, dividing them by the main news source they use to consume political and election news.
In the group of participants that claimed to get most of their news from social media, only 37% said that they expected a vaccine to combat coronavirus to be made available in a year or more. This answer was aligned with the current scientific claims as well. Other samples, with the exception of the local TV group, 50% of the participants answered accurately.
However, a third of respondents who used social media for their news updates said that they were not sure about the vaccine and its availability.
Additionally, 57% of the people who relied on social media for news said they had come across at least some news regarding the pandemic that seemed surreal or made up. The statistic was around 37% when the same question was asked to those who consumed their news via print media.
Interestingly, 45% of the social media news consumer found the media to be exaggerating the risks of the contagious disease. Radio news consumers also believed the same with 44% saying that the media is exaggerating a little more than necessary.
When it came to print media, only 26% of the consumers found the COVID-19 news ‘stretched’ while others believed in what they were paying for.
Do let us know where you get your daily dose of coronavirus news from in the comments!
Read next: Research Proves Why YouTubers Watch What They Watch In A Day
