Trust in sources of information about COVID-19

摘要: BackgroundRecent studies about trust in information sources and behaviors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted some to propose delivering information via trusted messengers. Such targeted messaging, however, requires knowledge about which sources are trusted, by whom, and why.MethodsWe conducted a mixed-methods study including a representative panel survey of Detroit residents and in-depth interviews with selected respondents.ResultsPreliminary analyses find that two-thirds of respondents trust their doctor a great deal for information on the pandemic. Interviewees also talked about trusting their primary care doctor for accurate information, as well as “going to the source,” including Dr. Fauci, local health departments and other sources viewed as scientific. Only one quarter of survey respondents trust news sources (radio, newspapers, TV); interviewees mentioned conflicting information from such sources and the politicization of the news. About one quarter trust the US government.