Healthcare misinformation is a big problem, but we’re probably not going to solve this on social media alone.

A study on health misinformation reports that a too large number of people believe incorrect things about vaccines in the U.S.

Suran M, Bucher K. False Health Claims Abound, but Physicians Are Still the Most Trusted Source for Health Information. JAMA. Published online April 26, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.6837

Image is a graph the header reads Awareness and belief in health misinformation Misinformation is pervasive, but trust in health misinformation is less so. Percent who have heard or read false claim (only 5 of 10 claims shown) Percent who say false claim is definitely or probably true. Over 60% heard this false claim, and over 30% believe this false claim is true that The COVID-19 vaccines have caused thousands of sudden deaths. Over 60% heard this false claim, and nearly 25% believe this false claim is true that The MMR vaccines have been proved to cause autism in children. Over 50% heard this false claim, and over 25% believe this false claim is true that The COVID-19 vaccines have been proved to cause infertility Almost 50% heard this false claim, and over 30% believe this false claim is true that Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19. Over 40% heard this false claim, and 20% believe this false claim is true that More people have died of COVID-19 vaccines than of COVID-19 virus.
Image is a graph the header reads Awareness and belief in health misinformation Misinformation is pervasive, but trust in health misinformation is less so. Percent who have heard or read false claim (only 5 of 10 claims shown) Percent who say false claim is definitely or probably true. Over 60% heard this false claim, and over 30% believe this false claim is true that The COVID-19 vaccines have caused thousands of sudden deaths. Over 60% heard this false claim, and nearly 25% believe this false claim is true that The MMR vaccines have been proved to cause autism in children. Over 50% heard this false claim, and over 25% believe this false claim is true that The COVID-19 vaccines have been proved to cause infertility Almost 50% heard this false claim, and over 30% believe this false claim is true that Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID-19. Over 40% heard this false claim, and 20% believe this false claim is true that More people have died of COVID-19 vaccines than of COVID-19 virus.

The study included a chart on social media use.

Image is a chart, header is Social media use and trust in health information. Most people use social media regularly but regardless of their usage, few trust information published on the platforms. 65% use YouTube at least once a week and less than 10% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. Over 60% use Facebook at least once a week and about 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. Almost 40% use Instagram at least once a week and less than 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. Almost 30% use Tik Tok at least once a week and less than 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. About 20% use Twitter (X) at least once a week and less than 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. About 20% use Snapchat at least once a week and about 2% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. Less than 20% use Reddit at least once a week and less than 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. About 15% use WhatsApp at least once a week and around 2% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform.
Image is a chart, header is Social media use and trust in health information. Most people use social media regularly but regardless of their usage, few trust information published on the platforms. 65% use YouTube at least once a week and less than 10% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. Over 60% use Facebook at least once a week and about 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. Almost 40% use Instagram at least once a week and less than 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. Almost 30% use Tik Tok at least once a week and less than 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. About 20% use Twitter (X) at least once a week and less than 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. About 20% use Snapchat at least once a week and about 2% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. Less than 20% use Reddit at least once a week and less than 5% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform. About 15% use WhatsApp at least once a week and around 2% have a lot of trust in health information found on the platform.
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anti-vaxdisinformationhealth informationinfluencemedicalmisinformationpandemicPRpublic healthsocial mediastudyvaccines