- The Washington Post investigated people’s news sources and vaccine hesitation.
- A quarter of people who rely on Facebook for news said they would not be vaccinated against Covid-19.
- This is higher than the group of people who said they got the news from Fox News.
- For more stories, please visit www.BusinessInsider.co.za.
Compared with people who rely on Fox News, people who rely on Facebook for news are slightly more likely to refuse the Covid-19 vaccine in the United States. Washington post Suggest.
The Post conducted this investigation as part of its ongoing “Covid States Project.” It surveyed 20,699 Americans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia in June and July.
Among those surveyed, 16% said that their news comes entirely from Facebook. Of these people, 47% reported being vaccinated, and 25% said they would not get Covid-19.
In general, these people hesitate about vaccines slightly more than those who claim that they only get information from Fox News. Among these Fox viewers, 23% said they would not be vaccinated, and 59% said they had been vaccinated.
When researchers consider demographics and other differences (such as age), the differences between the two groups still exist.
At the time of writing, Nearly 57% Of people were vaccinated in the United States.
Of the total 20,699 people surveyed by the Post, 68% said they had been vaccinated, and 18% said they would not be vaccinated.
Fox News launched Urge viewers to get vaccinated this month -But the main presenters including Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham have been Attack Covid-19 vaccine.
After Facebook fought the White House over the United States’ hesitation on vaccines, the Washington Post published its findings.
America president Joe Biden said that social media platforms are “killing”, Although he Regressed later, And stated that the people who spread the misinformation on Facebook are killing people, not Facebook itself.
Facebook says the Biden government is Looking for a scapegoat The goal of vaccinating 70% of the adult population by July 4 has not been achieved.
Facebook also Provides own statistics, Said that 85% of Facebook users in the United States have been or want to be vaccinated.
“Washington Post” analysis said that the statistics are not helpful in trying to understand the impact of Facebook on vaccine hesitation because it does not compare Facebook users with non-users. The Post also pointed out that people use Facebook in many different ways, and it is important to pay special attention to those who rely on Facebook for news.
The Washington Post stated that its findings do not prove that Facebook’s use as a news source caused vaccine hesitation-people who avoid mainstream media sources may also often distrust science and government agencies.
“Although we cannot say that Biden is correct in claiming that Facebook is actually’killing’, we have found that relying on Facebook’s information environment can lead to reduced trust in institutions, reduced vaccination rates, and increased vaccine resistance,” Post The newspaper concluded. .
When contacted for comment, Facebook did not immediately respond.
