Data_Sheet_1_The Role of News Consumption and Trust in Public Health Leadership in Shaping COVID-19 Knowledge and Prejudice.DOCX

The novelty of COVID-19 has created unique challenges to successful public health efforts because it has required the public to quickly learn and formulate knowledge and attitudes about the virus as information becomes available. The need to stay apprised of new information has also created a critical role for mass media and public institutions in shaping the public’s knowledge of, attitudes about, and responses to the unfolding pandemic. In this study, we examine how media consumption and reliance on specific institutions for information shapes three critical outcomes associated with public health epidemics: the accumulation of knowledge and the endorsement of misinformation about COVID-19, and prejudicial responses to the virus. We surveyed 1,141 adults residing across the United States in March 2020. Using multivariate regression and t-tests, we found that participants had greater knowledge, were less likely to endorse misinformation, and reported less bias toward Asian Americans when they had higher trust in the CDC and lower trust in President Trump. Reliance on certain news formats and sources was also associated with knowledge, misinformation, and prejudice. Our findings suggest that trust and news consumption can pose critical barriers to health literacy and foster negative prejudicial responses that further undermine public health efforts surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

新冠病毒作为全新病原体的特性，给公共卫生防控工作带来了独特挑战：随着各类信息陆续发布，公众需要快速学习并形成对该病毒的认知与态度。及时获取最新信息的需求，也让大众传媒与公共机构在塑造公众对这场持续演变疫情的认知、态度与应对方式方面发挥了关键作用。本研究探究了媒体接触行为与特定公共机构的信息依赖，如何影响公共卫生疫情相关的三项核心结果：新冠病毒相关知识的积累、错误信息的采信，以及对病毒的偏见性反应。本研究于2020年3月对全美1141名成年受访者开展了问卷调查。采用多元回归分析与t检验进行数据分析后，本研究发现：当受访者对美国疾病控制与预防中心（Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC）信任度更高、对特朗普总统信任度更低时，其掌握的新冠相关知识更丰富，更不易采信错误信息，且对亚裔美国人的偏见程度更低。特定新闻形式与信源的信息依赖行为，同样与知识储备、错误信息采信及偏见程度存在关联。本研究结果表明，信任倾向与媒体接触行为可能对公众健康素养构成显著阻碍，并催生负面偏见性反应，进一步削弱新冠疫情背景下的公共卫生防控工作成效。