A survey on the publics discrimination rate of typical rumors during the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic.

OBJECTIVES

During the epidemic of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), the wide spread of rumors caused significant public hazards. This study aims to understand the situation of discrimination for typical COVID-19 rumors by the public and related factors.

METHODS

An anonymous online survey was carried out using Questionnaire Star. The contents included participants' gender, age, education level, the COVID-19 information sources, and the judgmental questions about 14 representative COVID-19 rumors. The discrimination rate and 95% confidence interval of 14 rumors were estimated, and the association of discrimination rate with gender, age, and education level was analyzed by binary logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 2 087 valid questionnaires were collected. The participants were mainly female (62.7%) and below 35 years old (63.4%); the education level was predominantly college/bachelor's degree (47.3%) and master's degree or above (39.1%); the participants, who accessed to COVID-19 information included internet media, accounted for 91%. The participants with different gender, age, and education level had significant differences in the distribution of COVID-19 information sources (all P<0.01). The participants' discrimination rate for 14 rumors ranged from 67.4% to 98.6%, with 4 rumors less than 80%. Women's discrimination rate of 9 rumors was significantly higher than men's (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the discrimination rate of rumors among the different age groups (all P>0.05), but the differences in the discrimination rate of other rumors among the different age groups varied according to the rumor. Compared to those with high school or less education levels, the discrimination rates were also higher in the respondents with high education levels (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

A few publics are still unable to identify typical rumors during the COVID-19 epidemic. There are associations among genders, age, and the education levels with the discrimination of some rumors. The government authorities should strengthen the true information regarding COVID-19, and therefore enhance the public's ability to identify rumors.