April 7-9, 2022 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Abstract: COVID Misinformation Endorsement in the Criminal Justice Involved Population: Prevalence and Relationship with Information Sources
Background. A critical social determinant of health, criminal justice involvement (CJI) lies at the intersection of multiple dimensions of health disparities. There is strong evidence that CJI is a risk factor for myriad negative health outcomes.1-4 The unique and substantial vulnerability faced by the CJI population is further exacerbated by the pandemic.5, 6 In this study, we investigated the prevalence of COVID-related misinformation among a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States, including a subsample who reported personal history of CJI. Social demographic and information source correlates of misinformation endorsement among CJI and non-CJI groups were examined. Method. Data came from the AmeriSpeak Omnibus survey fielded in February and March, 2021, with a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18+ (N = 1,161). Respondents were presented with 10 true or false statements about COVID-19 based on misinformation extracted from earlier focus group research with CJI individuals. The number of incorrect responses was tallied as a measure of misinformation endorsement. Respondents reported the sources from which they obtained most of their information about COVID-19 in the past month (yes or no). Thirteen sources were shown and grouped into three categories: news sources (6), government sources (2), and social sources (5). Respondents also reported personal criminal justice history during lifetime (yes vs. no). Data were weighted to reflect population characteristics. Results. The sample included 992 (weighted% = 85.1) non-CJI and 166 CJI individuals (weighted% = 14.5). Among the CJI group, 82.6% endorsed one or more misinformation statements, compared to 67.5% among the non-CJI group (p < .001). CJI status positively predicted endorsement of 8 specific misinformation statements in bivariate analysis (p < .05) and 5 statements in logistic regression models controlling for demographic, economic, and political background (p < .05). In multiple regression models stratified by CJI status, obtaining COVID information from state and federal governments negatively predicted misinformation endorsement among non-CJI individuals (ß = -.142, p < .001); for CJI individuals, the coefficient was virtually zero (ß = -.01, p = .902). Obtaining information from news and social sources were unrelated to misinformation endorsement in either group (p > .05). Other predictors of misinformation endorsement included younger age (ß = -.329, p < .001) and leaning Republican (ß = .372, p < .001) for the CJI group and being female (ß = -.059, p = .044), younger age (ß = -.137, p < .001), lower education (ß = -.175, p < .001), being non-Hispanic Black (ß = .246, p < .001), being Hispanic (ß = .176, p < .001), and leaning Republican (ß = .169, p < .001) for the non-CJI group. Conclusion. CJI status is a unique risk factor for misinformation endorsement above and beyond demographics and political orientation. Unlike in the non-CJI population, COVID information received from government sources does not seem to mitigate belief in misinformation among the CJI population. Distrust in the government may be a factor in this finding and a barrier to COVID misinformation correction among CJI communities.