Consumption of information and citizen’s perception of the sources consulted during the Covid-19 pandemic: A study of the situation based on opinion polls

Abstract

The aim of this cross-sectional study is to analyze the consumption of information about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Spain and to ascertain the public’s perception of the role of journalists, the media, the scientific community, and governmental and health authorities. The methodology involved taking a descriptive survey of a sample of 1,800 people who were representative of the Spanish population, were of legal age, and were residents of the 17 autonomous communities, between June 6 and 22, 2022. Age, political leaning, attitude toward vaccines, and level of education were determining variables. The results show that ideology and age are the factors that most condition the use of different types of information sources. Centrists consume more traditional media than those on the political left or right, who are the least likely to obtain their information from traditional media. And left-wingers rely more on official sources, such as health authorities, in contrast to centrists or right-wingers. Anti-vaccinationists (anti-vaxxers) prefer alternative sources. Meanwhile, the use of sources does not differ between men and women. Their consumption behavior is similar, which shows that gender is not a variable that significantly influences information consumption, neither in the selection of sources nor in the perception of the role of science and journalism. In general, the main sources of information consulted during the COVID-19 pandemic were the traditional media and the health authorities. In the context of the pandemic, young people consumed the least information and expressed the greatest distrust in journalism and science.