Title : How do religiosity, political ideology, and consuming fox news influence belief in health misinformation
Abstract:
Background: Misinformation, particularly concerning health and wellness, poses a significant threat to public health (van der Linden, 2022). Medical experts caution that embracing such misinformation can have deadly consequences (Gisondi et al., 2022). Religiosity and conservative political ideology have been found to make individuals more susceptible to misinformation (Druckman et al., 2021; Garrett & Bond, 2021). Additionally, the consumption of conservative media, particularly Fox News, has been linked to stronger beliefs in misinformation (Stecula & Pickup, 2021; Ash et al., 2023; Yang & Bennett, 2021). Unfortunately, there are few comprehensive studies examining the collective impact of religiosity, conservative politics, and exposure to conservative media on beliefs in health misinformation. Thus, the following research hypotheses are proposed:
H1: A. Higher religiosity, B. More conservative political ideology, and C. Consuming Fox News content (both TV and online) are positively associated with beliefs in health misinformation.
Method: This study used the American National Election Studies (ANES, 2021) 2020 Time Series dataset, a sample comprising U.S. citizens aged 18 or older living in the United States (N = 8,280). Key variables measured in the study are: Religiosity; Political ideology; Consumption of seven Fox TV programs: (1) Hannity, (2) Tucker Carlson Tonight, (3) The Five, (4) The Ingraham Angle, (5) The Story with Martha MacCallum, (6) Special Report with Bret Baier, and (7) Fox & Friends; Fox News website visits; Beliefs in two specific health claims that are misinformation. Demographic variables (age, sex, ethnicity, education, marital status) were also measured.
Results: Two logistic regressions were conducted separately to predict belief in each of the two claims, while controlling demographic variables. Findings revealed that (1) Stronger religiosity and more conservative politics are associated with a higher likelihood to believe misinformation that “childhood vaccines cause autism;” consumption of Fox content did not contribute to this belief; (2) Three factors (stronger religiosity, more conservative politics, and regular Fox website use) are associated with a higher likelihood to believe misinformation that “the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine is a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19.”
Conclusion: The study revealed the significant and positive impacts of religiosity, conservative political views, and regular exposure to the Fox News website on the acceptance of health misinformation.
