Background The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in major challenges for healthcare systems, also due
to the raging so-called Infodemic, with misinformation and fake news eroding trust
in health authorities and compliance with imposed measures. Literature suggests that
Covid-19 information seeking behaviour is associated with individuals’ socioeconomic/-demographic
status. However, this has not yet been researched in Austria but is crucial to policy-makers
for choosing communication channels and fighting misinformation.
Methods We assess this association in regression analyses, using data referring to behaviour
during the first Austrian lockdown (15/03/2020–15/04/2020) (n=559). Status variables
include education, migration background, gender, age. Variables characterizing Covid-19
information seeking behaviour include i) main information source (TV, newspaper, social
media, news, government/WHO websites); ii) respective use frequency; iii) and ability
to switch off social/traditional media.
Results Young people, women, those with migration background and lower education level were
more likely to be exposed to potentially less reliable information sources such as
social media. For example, women (OR: 1.79, 95%CI 1.24-2.57) were found to use social
media more frequently to obtain Covid-19 information and respondents with migration
background (RRR: 2.94, 95%CI 1.14-7.60) were more likely to use it as their preferred
information source. Tertiary education increased the odds of a higher frequency of
use of TV for Covid-19 information more than fourfold compared to primary/lower secondary
education (OR: 4.81, 95%CI 1.34-17.21).
Conclusion Generalization of our findings is limited given the not fully representative sample,
but may nonetheless inform more targeted and effective information initiatives to
vulnerable groups in future health crises.
