Abstract

DE OLIVEIRA CARDOS, NICOLAS et al. Beliefs in Misinformation about Covid-19 and Dengue in a Sample of the Rio de Janeiro State (Brazil). Psicol. caribe [online]. 2025, vol.42, n.1, pp.88-125.  Epub Feb 11, 2025. ISSN 0123-417X.  https://doi.org/10.14482/psdc.42.1.297.962.

Given the ongoing dengue epidemic in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) and the prevalence of misinformation related to Covid-19 and dengue, this study aims to: 1) compare levels of belief in Covid-19 and dengue misinformation; 2) examine associations between sociodemographic factors, health-related outcomes, and misinformation beliefs; and 3) explore the reasons underlying these beliefs among residents of Rio de Janeiro. A cross-sectional online opinion survey was conducted using quantitative and qualitative data retrieved from 180 adults who live in RJ. Participants answered a self-report questionnaire about sociodemographic and health-related outcomes. They were then asked to evaluate six pieces of misinformation as true or false and to explain why they believed or did not believe in them. Our findings reveal higher levels of belief in Covid-19 compared to dengue misinformation among the Rio de Janeiro population. Furthermore, for each unit increase in the number of received Covid-19 vaccine doses, there was a 277% increase in the odds of disbelieving Covid-19 misinformation. Individuals with right-wing political affiliations and those opposed to child vaccination exhibited a moderate to strong propensity to believe in misinformation. Perceived vaccine reliability and information received from healthcare professionals emerged as key reasons cited for both believing and disbelieving Covid-19 misinformation.

Keywords : Misinformation; vaccine hesitancy; political ideology; ivermectin; genetically modified organisms.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )