Trust in doctors, social support, and belief in COVID-19 misinformation
Abstract Background Misinformation has emerged as a major concern for public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study conceptualizes trust in doctors and social support through the lens of social capital theory and investigates their role in public endorsement of COVID-19-related misinformatio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23470-0 |
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| author | Urszula A. Horoszko Lindsay Smith Amy Murphy Bruce G. Taylor Phoebe A. Lamuda Harold A. Pollack John A. Schneider Faye S. Taxman Xiaoquan Zhao |
| author_facet | Urszula A. Horoszko Lindsay Smith Amy Murphy Bruce G. Taylor Phoebe A. Lamuda Harold A. Pollack John A. Schneider Faye S. Taxman Xiaoquan Zhao |
| author_sort | Urszula A. Horoszko |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Misinformation has emerged as a major concern for public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study conceptualizes trust in doctors and social support through the lens of social capital theory and investigates their role in public endorsement of COVID-19-related misinformation. Methods Using data from a nationally representative survey (N = 6,515), a series of logistic regression models were used to estimate relationships between misinformation endorsement and trust in doctors and social support from interpersonal and communal sources. Moderation analyses explored differences in these relationships among non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic respondents. Results In the full sample analysis, trust in doctors and social support from both sources were negatively associated with misinformation endorsement. This pattern did not consistently hold across the three subgroups in moderation analyses. Trust in doctors was negatively associated with misinformation endorsement in most cases, whereas social support exhibited varied associations depending on its source and respondents’ race and ethnicity. Conclusions These findings confirm that trust in doctors is an important protective factor against COVID-19 misinformation. The role of social support, however, is more nuanced and warrants continued research that considers both support sources and the racial and ethnic background of the communities involved. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cfba5398a44b4ac19b4ccbdda9e655bc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-cfba5398a44b4ac19b4ccbdda9e655bc2025-08-20T04:01:43ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-07-0125111610.1186/s12889-025-23470-0Trust in doctors, social support, and belief in COVID-19 misinformationUrszula A. Horoszko0Lindsay Smith1Amy Murphy2Bruce G. Taylor3Phoebe A. Lamuda4Harold A. Pollack5John A. Schneider6Faye S. Taxman7Xiaoquan Zhao8Department of Communication, George Mason UniversitySchar School of Public Policy, George Mason UniversitySchar School of Public Policy, George Mason UniversityNORC at the University of ChicagoNORC at the University of ChicagoCrown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of ChicagoCrown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of ChicagoSchar School of Public Policy, George Mason UniversityDepartment of Communication, George Mason UniversityAbstract Background Misinformation has emerged as a major concern for public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study conceptualizes trust in doctors and social support through the lens of social capital theory and investigates their role in public endorsement of COVID-19-related misinformation. Methods Using data from a nationally representative survey (N = 6,515), a series of logistic regression models were used to estimate relationships between misinformation endorsement and trust in doctors and social support from interpersonal and communal sources. Moderation analyses explored differences in these relationships among non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic respondents. Results In the full sample analysis, trust in doctors and social support from both sources were negatively associated with misinformation endorsement. This pattern did not consistently hold across the three subgroups in moderation analyses. Trust in doctors was negatively associated with misinformation endorsement in most cases, whereas social support exhibited varied associations depending on its source and respondents’ race and ethnicity. Conclusions These findings confirm that trust in doctors is an important protective factor against COVID-19 misinformation. The role of social support, however, is more nuanced and warrants continued research that considers both support sources and the racial and ethnic background of the communities involved.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23470-0MisinformationCOVID-19TrustSocial supportSocial capitalHealth disparities |
| spellingShingle | Urszula A. Horoszko Lindsay Smith Amy Murphy Bruce G. Taylor Phoebe A. Lamuda Harold A. Pollack John A. Schneider Faye S. Taxman Xiaoquan Zhao Trust in doctors, social support, and belief in COVID-19 misinformation BMC Public Health Misinformation COVID-19 Trust Social support Social capital Health disparities |
| title | Trust in doctors, social support, and belief in COVID-19 misinformation |
| title_full | Trust in doctors, social support, and belief in COVID-19 misinformation |
| title_fullStr | Trust in doctors, social support, and belief in COVID-19 misinformation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trust in doctors, social support, and belief in COVID-19 misinformation |
| title_short | Trust in doctors, social support, and belief in COVID-19 misinformation |
| title_sort | trust in doctors social support and belief in covid 19 misinformation |
| topic | Misinformation COVID-19 Trust Social support Social capital Health disparities |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23470-0 |
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