Low trust in medical experts linked to social media vaccine panics

The more an individual is exposed to misinformation on social media about measles or MMR, the more likely they are to grow misinformed about vaccines. This is according to new research from Harvard University drawing on a survey of almost 2,500 Americans, which was conducted during a measles outbreak in 2019.

The study also found a correlation between low levels of trust in medical experts and the tendency to believe vaccine misinformation. However, it is not known if lack of trust leads to believing misinformation or vice versa.

Respondents who said they got their information on vaccines through traditional media rather than online were less likely to mistakenly state that vaccines caused autism or that vaccines were full of toxins.

Worryingly, 20 per cent of respondents rated as very or somewhat accurate the incorrect statement that it makes no difference whether parents choose to delay or spread out vaccines instead of relying on the official CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) vaccine schedule.

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"This result underscores the value of efforts to educate the public through traditional sources and minimise exposure to vaccine misinformation on social media," said researchers Dominik Stecula, Ozan Kuru and Kathleen Jamieson.