Social Media, Conspiracy Beliefs, and COVID-19 Vaccines: A Survey Study of Emerging and Middle-Aged Adults in the United States
This study examined the connections between social media use and behaviors, COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy beliefs, and COVID-19 vaccine uptake in 809 emerging and middle-aged adults. Emerging adults reported more overall social media use, active and passive social media behaviors, and use of most plat...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/34 |
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| author | Gillianne R. Nugent Dina Anselmi Brian N. Chin |
| author_facet | Gillianne R. Nugent Dina Anselmi Brian N. Chin |
| author_sort | Gillianne R. Nugent |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study examined the connections between social media use and behaviors, COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy beliefs, and COVID-19 vaccine uptake in 809 emerging and middle-aged adults. Emerging adults reported more overall social media use, active and passive social media behaviors, and use of most platforms (i.e., Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter/X, Reddit, and YouTube), whereas middle-aged adults reported more Facebook use and higher vaccine uptake. COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy beliefs were linked to lower vaccine uptake, with this association unexpectedly stronger among individuals who reported less social media use and fewer active and passive social media behaviors. Active social media behaviors were associated with stronger vaccine conspiracy beliefs, whereas passive social media behaviors and overall use did not show a similar association. Exploratory analyses of platform-specific effects revealed nuanced patterns: TikTok use was associated with stronger vaccine conspiracy beliefs, Instagram use was associated with higher vaccine uptake, and Snapchat use was associated with lower vaccine uptake. Our findings highlight the complex, platform-specific influences of social media use and behaviors on COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy beliefs and vaccine uptake. Future studies are needed to investigate the role of specific social media platforms in spreading, perpetuating, or countering misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f8e73a26c1bf41f8b7d37bc8c48325ee |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-f8e73a26c1bf41f8b7d37bc8c48325ee2025-01-24T13:49:44ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602025-01-011413410.3390/socsci14010034Social Media, Conspiracy Beliefs, and COVID-19 Vaccines: A Survey Study of Emerging and Middle-Aged Adults in the United StatesGillianne R. Nugent0Dina Anselmi1Brian N. Chin2Department of Psychology, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USADepartment of Psychology, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USADepartment of Psychology, Trinity College, Hartford, CT 06106, USAThis study examined the connections between social media use and behaviors, COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy beliefs, and COVID-19 vaccine uptake in 809 emerging and middle-aged adults. Emerging adults reported more overall social media use, active and passive social media behaviors, and use of most platforms (i.e., Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter/X, Reddit, and YouTube), whereas middle-aged adults reported more Facebook use and higher vaccine uptake. COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy beliefs were linked to lower vaccine uptake, with this association unexpectedly stronger among individuals who reported less social media use and fewer active and passive social media behaviors. Active social media behaviors were associated with stronger vaccine conspiracy beliefs, whereas passive social media behaviors and overall use did not show a similar association. Exploratory analyses of platform-specific effects revealed nuanced patterns: TikTok use was associated with stronger vaccine conspiracy beliefs, Instagram use was associated with higher vaccine uptake, and Snapchat use was associated with lower vaccine uptake. Our findings highlight the complex, platform-specific influences of social media use and behaviors on COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy beliefs and vaccine uptake. Future studies are needed to investigate the role of specific social media platforms in spreading, perpetuating, or countering misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/34age differencesconspiracy theoriesCOVID-19health behaviorssocial mediavaccines |
| spellingShingle | Gillianne R. Nugent Dina Anselmi Brian N. Chin Social Media, Conspiracy Beliefs, and COVID-19 Vaccines: A Survey Study of Emerging and Middle-Aged Adults in the United States Social Sciences age differences conspiracy theories COVID-19 health behaviors social media vaccines |
| title | Social Media, Conspiracy Beliefs, and COVID-19 Vaccines: A Survey Study of Emerging and Middle-Aged Adults in the United States |
| title_full | Social Media, Conspiracy Beliefs, and COVID-19 Vaccines: A Survey Study of Emerging and Middle-Aged Adults in the United States |
| title_fullStr | Social Media, Conspiracy Beliefs, and COVID-19 Vaccines: A Survey Study of Emerging and Middle-Aged Adults in the United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social Media, Conspiracy Beliefs, and COVID-19 Vaccines: A Survey Study of Emerging and Middle-Aged Adults in the United States |
| title_short | Social Media, Conspiracy Beliefs, and COVID-19 Vaccines: A Survey Study of Emerging and Middle-Aged Adults in the United States |
| title_sort | social media conspiracy beliefs and covid 19 vaccines a survey study of emerging and middle aged adults in the united states |
| topic | age differences conspiracy theories COVID-19 health behaviors social media vaccines |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/1/34 |
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