Abstracts
Abstract
This study examines relationships between demographic attributes of older adults, information challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and skepticism about the efficacy of COVID-19 preventative measures (social distancing, mask wearing, good hygiene). A 12-question survey was distributed on the Amazon Mechanical Turk platform in late June 2021, receiving 400 responses. Findings indicate that gender, political affiliation, relationship status, family closeness, and perceived family control over one’s information source preferences are the greatest predictors of elevated gaps in information and skepticism towards COVID-19 prevention. Specifically, in this study, married, conservative men with close family ties often expressed elevated inadequacy of information and COVID-19 skepticism.
Keywords:
- coronavirus,
- COVID-19,
- information seeking,
- skepticism,
- older adults
Résumé
Cette étude examine les relations entre les attributs démographiques des adultes plus âgés, les difficultés en recherche et la découverte de l'information entourant la pandémie de COVID-19, et le scepticisme quant à l'efficacité des mesures de prévention du COVID-19 (distanciation sociale, port de masque, bonne hygiène). Une enquête de 12 questions a été distribuée sur la plateforme Amazon Mechanical Turk à la fin du mois de juin 2021 et a reçu 400 réponses. Les résultats indiquent que le sexe, l'affiliation politique, le statut relationnel, la proximité familiale et le contrôle familial perçu sur les préférences de la source d'information sont les plus grands prédicteurs de lacunes élevées en matière d'information et de scepticisme envers la prévention du COVID-19. Plus précisément, dans cette étude, les hommes mariés, conservateurs et ayant des liens familiaux étroits ont souvent exprimé un manque d'information et un scepticisme élevé à l'égard du COVID-19.
Mots-clés :
- coronavirus,
- COVID-19,
- recherche d’informations,
- scepticisme,
- adultes âgés
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