Battling the Infodemic- A Cross Sectional Study of General Population of Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the sources of COVID-19 related information used by the general
public in Pakistan it focused on the strategies being employed to fact-check information before its
propagation and to identify common misperceptions and attitudes toward these myths.
Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 365 Pakistani residents was conducted between 1st July and
31st July 2020. Based on literature review a Google Forms was distributed randomly via social media, it
consisted of demographic information and collected data on the common sources of information,
misinformation and response of people to prevalent myths and misconceptions surrounding COVID-19.
Results: Out of 365 participants, 60.2% of the respondents were female with the mean (SD) age of 32.2±
11.35 years. Television and social media websites were the major sources of information and WhatsApp was
found as the main social media site to encounter misinformation by 118(32.2%) participants, only a small
number 114(31.2%), checked the veracity of information and another few 18(4.9%) directly challenged any
account. Official government sources were trusted by most Pakistanis. Sixty-three percent of participants
agreed that only possible solution to COVID-19 pandemic is vaccine while misconception about dead bodies
of COVID-19 patients being used by hospitals to get international funding was shared by 262(71.7%).
Conclusion: A concerted effort is needed to mitigate the detrimental effects of infodemic through education
and participation of the stakeholders. Furthermore, the need to publicize strictly authentic information and
device policies for the mainstream media regarding COVID-19 related content by the government is critical