Table_1_Social Media News Use Induces COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Through Skepticism Regarding Its Efficacy: A Longitudinal Study From the United States.DOCX

There are mounting concerns about the adverse effects of social media on the public understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential effects on vaccination coverage. Yet early studies have focused on generic social media use and been based on cross-sectional data limiting any causal inferences. This study is among the first to provide causal support for the speculation that social media news use leads to vaccine hesitancy among US citizens. This two-wave survey study was conducted in the US using Qualtrics online panel-based recruitment. We employ mediation and moderated mediation analyses to test our assumptions. The results suggest that using social media to consume news content can translate into vaccine hesitancy by increasing citizens’ skepticism regarding the efficacy of vaccines. However, these effects are contingent upon the news literacy of users, as the effects on vaccine hesitancy are more substantial among those with lower news literacy. The current study recommends to public policymakers and vaccine communication strategists that any attempt to reduce vaccine hesitancy in society should factor in the adverse effects of social media news use that can increase vaccine safety concerns.

当下，公众对社交媒体对新冠疫情公众认知的不利影响，以及其对疫苗接种覆盖率可能造成的冲击的担忧与日俱增。然而早期相关研究多聚焦于一般性社交媒体使用行为，且均基于横截面数据开展，这使得因果推断的可靠性大打折扣。本研究是首批为"社交媒体新闻使用会导致美国民众产生疫苗犹豫"这一推测提供因果性支撑的研究之一。本研究为两波追踪调研，以美国地区为调研范围，通过Qualtrics在线面板招募调研对象。本研究采用中介分析与有调节的中介分析对研究假设进行检验。研究结果显示，通过社交媒体浏览新闻资讯，会通过提升民众对疫苗有效性的怀疑态度，进而加剧其疫苗犹豫倾向。不过此类影响取决于用户的新闻素养水平：对于新闻素养较低的群体，社交媒体新闻使用对疫苗犹豫的影响更为显著。本研究建议公共政策制定者与疫苗传播策略制定者：若要在全社会层面降低疫苗犹豫倾向，需将社交媒体新闻使用可能加剧民众疫苗安全顾虑的不利影响纳入考量范畴。