Stecula, Dominik Andrzej, et al. “How Trust in Experts and Media Use Affect Acceptance of Common Anti-Vaccination Claims: HKS Misinformation Review.” Misinformation Review, 29 Jan. 2021, https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/users-of-social-media-more-likely-to-be-misinformed-about-vaccines/. 

University of California, Berkeley

 • How do traditional media users and social media users in the US differ in their belief in vaccine misinformation?

• How does the acceptance or rejection of common vaccine misinformation relate to the trust an individual has in medical experts/expertise?


Questions of Research (type of media used and trust in medical expertise)


How Trust in Experts and Media Use Affect Acceptance of Common Anti-Vaccination Claims


 • Surveys conducted in the US during a measles outbreak imply that traditional media users are less likely to be misinformed about vaccines than social media users. 

 • “ consequential number” of US adults are misinformed about vaccines.

 • Results also show that distrust of medical authorities is positively related to vaccine misinformation.

 • Consistent results across varied demographic groups and political beliefs.

 • False beliefs were highly persistent over a five months period.


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