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Inoculating against COVID-19 misinformation

  • Funded by HRB Ireland, Irish Research Council
  • Total publications:0 publications

Grant number: unknown

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Key facts

  • Disease

    COVID-19

  • Funder

    HRB Ireland, Irish Research Council

  • Principal Investigator

    Associate Professor and Dr Ciara Greene, Gillian Murphy

  • Research Location

    Ireland

  • Lead Research Institution

    University College Dublin

  • Research Priority Alignment

    N/A

  • Research Category

    Policies for public health, disease control & community resilience

  • Research Subcategory

    Approaches to public health interventions

  • Special Interest Tags

    N/A

  • Study Type

    Non-Clinical

  • Clinical Trial Details

    N/A

  • Broad Policy Alignment

    Pending

  • Age Group

    Unspecified

  • Vulnerable Population

    Unspecified

  • Occupations of Interest

    Unspecified

Abstract

When people are isolated and rely on social media as a source for news, misinformation can spread. In turn, unreliable information can affect how people behave and may even increase their risk of becoming infected with COVID-19. A new project supported by the Health Research Board and the Irish Research Council will look at how people respond to misinformation about COVID-19 and will explore a range of interventions to reduce the spread of such misinformation. What is the issue? COVID-19 has been accompanied by a wave of misinformation that can undermine public health guidance and may even compromise public safety. What will the research project do? This project will look at why people accept misinformation about COVID-19, and will examine the effectiveness of cognitive interventions to reduce the spread of COVID-19-related misinformation. What will the impact be? By identifying ways to stop the spread and impact of misinformation about COVID-19, the research will help to support public health guidance.