| Popis: |
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a health threat that has dominated media coverage. However, not much is known about individual media use to acquire knowledge about COVID-19. To address this, this study investigated how perceived threat is linked to media use, and how media use is associated with perceived and actual knowledge about COVID-19. In a German online survey, N=952 participants provided information on their perceived threat and media use to inform themselves about COVID-19. They indicated how well they are informed about COVID-19 (perceived knowledge) and completed a COVID-19 knowledge test (actual knowledge). Results indicated that individuals who felt more threatened by COVID-19 used media more often to inform themselves but focused on fewer media channels. Frequent media use was associated with higher perceived knowledge, but not with higher actual knowledge about COVID-19 (i.e., illusion of knowledge). Finally, using fewer media channels was linked to higher perceived and actual knowledge. |
