A model of trust in online COVID-19 information and advice: cross sectional questionnaire study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic many people sought information from websites and social media and understanding the extent to which these sources were trusted is important in relation to health communication. OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify the key factors influencing UK citizens’ trust and intention to act on advice about COVID-19 found via digital resources and to test whether an existing model of trust in ehealth provided a good fit for COVID-19-related information seeking online. We also wished to identify any differences between the evaluation of general information and information relating specifically to COVID-19 vaccines. METHODS Six hundred people completed an online survey encompassing a general Web trust questionnaire, measures of information corroboration, coping perceptions, and intention to act. Data were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). The evaluation responses of general information and COVID-19 vaccines information were also compared. RESULTS The PCA revealed 5 trust factors (1) credibility and impartiality (2) familiarity (3) privacy (4) usable and (5) personal experiences. In the final SEM model, trust had a significant direct effect on intention to act and of the trust factors, credibility and impartiality had a significant positive direct effect on trust. People searching for vaccination information felt less at risk, less anxious and more optimistic after reading the information. We noted that most people sought information from ‘official’ sources. Finally, in the context of COVID-19, ‘credibility and impartiality’ remains a key predictor of trust in ehealth resources but in comparison with previous models of trust in online health information, checking and corroborating information did not form a significant part of trust evaluations. CONCLUSIONS In terms of uncertainty when faced with a global emergent health concern people placed their trust in familiar websites and relied on the perceived credibility and impartiality of those digital sources above other trust factors.