The third in a series of PANCOPOP articles has just been published in the International Journal of Press/Politics. The article, titled ‘Beyond Social Media: The Influence of News Consumption, Populism, and Expert Trust on Belief in COVID-19 Misinformation’, utilises survey data from Brazil, Poland, Serbia and the U.S. and shows that affinity to populism and mistrust of experts are generally stronger predictors of people’s vulnerability to misinformation than their news consumption patterns. However, the data also point to an important role played by exposure to COVID-sceptical media brands, messaging apps as well as podcasts, the consumption of which is significantly correlated with misinformation beliefs. These results call for a more nuanced approach to the role of digital platforms in the spreading of misinformation, and also underline the importance of established legacy news media.
The article is available open access and can be read and downloaded here: https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612241302755