[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – About one in four residents surveyed in Singapore believe a false claim that Covid-19 vaccines alter DNA, according to a survey by Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Older respondents were also more likely to believe that this falsehood was circulating on social media, even though it was discredited on fact-checking websites, including The Straits Times, according to the results of an ongoing poll commissioned by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information of the university.
The responses were collected as part of a larger survey that tracks a group of Singaporeans over the years to understand their reporting behavior, said on Thursday (December 24) school associate professor Edson Tandoc Jr. , principal investigator of the survey.
He said that while the results of the larger survey may only be available early next year, his team decided to look at the responses to vaccine-related questions, “given the importance and timeliness of the (vaccination) issue.” .
A total of 999 people were surveyed, with an average age of 40 years. About 51% of them were men.
Of the quarter of respondents who believe false claims that Covid-19 vaccines alter DNA, Professor Tandoc said: “This is something we need to keep tracking as we hope more conspiracy theories and misinformation will spread about vaccination in the coming months as more and more people get vaccinated around the world.
“The response to this particular claim is noteworthy, given that it has been discredited by experts and the media, yet nearly a quarter of those surveyed still believe it to be true.”
Professor Tandoc said that the survey’s finding that older respondents were more susceptible to falsehood is consistent with previous findings before the Covid-19 outbreak.
“We think part of this is that some older respondents may not be as tech-savvy when it comes to using tools to verify information. But there are definitely other explanations for this, and this is something we continue to study,” he said. .
More than half will take the Covid-19 vaccine
As part of the same survey, more than half of those surveyed, or about 55 percent, said they were willing to get vaccinated when a Covid-19 vaccine becomes available in Singapore.
About 11 percent said they would not get vaccinated, while about 34 percent were undecided.
This would indicate that some of those who say they believe the DNA claim are at least willing to consider the vaccine. Professor Tandoc said: “The belief in fake news can affect the willingness of some people to get vaccinated, but there are other factors at play as well, which we still need to understand.”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on December 14 that Covid-19 vaccines are voluntary and will be free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents.
“Hearing the prime minister himself say that he would be vaccinated helped increase public confidence in the vaccine,” said Professor Tandoc.
More than 60 percent of those surveyed thought the vaccine would be effective.
Young people are not immune to fake news
Younger people are not immune to fake news about Covid-19.
Another study led by Professor Tandoc and researcher James Lee Chong Boi published on Monday found that young Singaporeans received news about the virus on social media and messaging platforms such as WhatsApp during the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak.
This shaped their concern about the dangers of fake news surrounding Covid-19 rather than the health threat posed by the disease, while belief in misinformation that the virus was risky for older generations. but not for themselves he continued.
The findings suggest that young adults are overconfident both in their ability to discern information and in the risk posed by the virus.
This was based on focus group discussions with 89 participants aged 21-27 in February, roughly a month after Singapore had its first case of Covid-19.
“An important consideration of these findings is how to get young people who think they are not prone to Covid-19 continue to engage in proactive behaviors against the virus,” said Professor Tandoc.
“This is even more important during the initial phase of the pandemic, where credible information about the new virus was scarce … This sense-making process shaped the initial view of young Singaporeans that they are not vulnerable to the virus. “. added.
[ad_2]
