{"title":"Factors affecting rumor believability in the context of COVID-19: the moderating roles of government trust and health literacy","authors":"Hyegyu Lee, Jarim Kim","doi":"10.1080/00909882.2022.2141069","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This study explores the mediating role of prior exposure to a rumor in the relationship between anxiety and rumor believability, and the moderated mediation thereof by government trust and health literacy. A total of 534 participants aged 19–59 were recruited from a research survey panel in an early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea. Using two negative COVID-19 rumors, prior exposure to a rumor and rumor believability were measured for each rumor. The results showed that anxiety about COVID-19 led to rumor believability, mediated by prior exposure to a rumor. Government trust moderated the relationship between anxiety and rumor exposure in both rumor cases. Health literacy moderated the relationship between anxiety and rumor believability only in the rumor about lung damage caused by COVID-19.","PeriodicalId":47570,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Communication Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2022-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"3","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Applied Communication Research","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2022.2141069","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"COMMUNICATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 3
Abstract
ABSTRACT This study explores the mediating role of prior exposure to a rumor in the relationship between anxiety and rumor believability, and the moderated mediation thereof by government trust and health literacy. A total of 534 participants aged 19–59 were recruited from a research survey panel in an early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea. Using two negative COVID-19 rumors, prior exposure to a rumor and rumor believability were measured for each rumor. The results showed that anxiety about COVID-19 led to rumor believability, mediated by prior exposure to a rumor. Government trust moderated the relationship between anxiety and rumor exposure in both rumor cases. Health literacy moderated the relationship between anxiety and rumor believability only in the rumor about lung damage caused by COVID-19.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Applied Communication Research publishes original scholarship that addresses or challenges the relation between theory and practice in understanding communication in applied contexts. All theoretical and methodological approaches are welcome, as are all contextual areas. Original research studies should apply existing theory and research to practical solutions, problems, and practices should illuminate how embodied activities inform and reform existing theory or should contribute to theory development. Research articles should offer critical summaries of theory or research and demonstrate ways in which the critique can be used to explain, improve or understand communication practices or process in a specific context.
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