ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2021
COVID-19 Misinformation Trends in Australia: Prospective Longitudinal National Survey.
Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 76 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
76 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 194 citations in OpenAlex.
- Development of a Conceptual Framework of Health Misinformation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review of Reviews.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Pooled it
- Summarising data and factors associated with COVID-19 related conspiracy theories in the first year of the pandemic: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.BMC psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of an online vaccine misinformation game for Arabic-speaking Australians: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- Analytic thinking predicts accuracy ratings and willingness to share COVID-19 misinformation in Australia.Memory & cognition · 2022Trial
- Impact of a Serious Game (Escape COVID-19) on the Intention to Change COVID-19 Control Practices Among Employees of Long-term Care Facilities: Web-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Trial
- Hearing health professionals' attitudes and perceived skills toward artificial intelligence.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Learning to see clearly again: How critical media engagement can save public health.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Have you done your research? Information sources and trust as predictors of vaccine intentions and uptake during Australia's COVID-19 vaccination rollout.Australian journal of psychology · 2026Article
- Alarming data on attitudes and practices toward COVID-19 - changes during the 1 st, 2nd and 3rd waves of the pandemic: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Health promotion in the algorithmic age: recognizing the information environment as a determinant of health.Health promotion international · 2025Article
- Who Cares How Information Feels? A Call for Digital Influence Literacy.Asian bioethics review · 2025Article
- 'I'm glad my baby has weaned so I don't need to make that decision.' Understanding breastfeeding-related COVID-19 vaccine narratives on social media.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2025Article
- Australians' Well-Being and Resilience During COVID-19: The Role of Trust, Misinformation, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Locus of Control.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Development and Usability Evaluation of COVID-Iran: A Mobile Application for Mitigating COVID-19 Misinformation.Healthcare informatics research · 2024Article
- Investigating the role of source and source trust in prebunks and debunks of misinformation in online experiments across four EU countries.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Investigation of Public Acceptance of Misinformation Correction in Social Media Based on Sentiment Attributions: Infodemiology Study Using Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- [Mis- and disinformation in social media: mitigating risks in digital health communication].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2024Review
- Informing social media analysis for public health: a cross-sectional survey of professionals.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- Article
- You must be myths-taken: Examining belief in falsehoods during the COVID-19 health crisis.PloS one · 2024Article
16 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMisinformation about COVID-19 is common and has been spreading rapidly across the globe through social media platforms and other information systems. Understanding what the public knows about COVID-19 and identifying beliefs based on misinformation can help shape effective public health communications to ensure efforts to reduce viral transmission are not undermined.
objectiveThis study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with COVID-19 misinformation in Australia and their changes over time.
methodsThis prospective, longitudinal national survey was completed by adults (18 years and above) across April (n=4362), May (n=1882), and June (n=1369) 2020.
resultsStronger agreement with misinformation was associated with younger age, male gender, lower education level, and language other than English spoken at home (P<.01 for all). After controlling for these variables, misinformation beliefs were significantly associated (P<.001) with lower levels of digital health literacy, perceived threat of COVID-19, confidence in government, and trust in scientific institutions. Analyses of specific government-identified misinformation revealed 3 clusters: prevention (associated with male gender and younger age), causation (associated with lower education level and greater social disadvantage), and cure (associated with younger age). Lower institutional trust and greater rejection of official government accounts were associated with stronger agreement with COVID-19 misinformation.
conclusionsThe findings of this study highlight important gaps in communication effectiveness, which must be addressed to ensure effective COVID-19 prevention.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.