Information Environments Surrounding General Social Trust in COVID-19 Context: A Model of Belief in Misinformation and In-Group Trust

Abstract

Although general social trust (i.e., trust in general others) plays an important role in the public’s response to health measures, little is known about its antecedents in the information environment. This study investigated whether public beliefs in COVID-19 misinformation are influenced by their risk perception and, in turn, predict their level of general social trust. In addition, the moderation effect of public’s in-group trust (e.g., trust toward close and similar others) on these relationships was tested. Survey data collected from South Korea indicate that people who perceive a higher risk of COVID-19 tend to believe misinformation more strongly only when they have a higher level of in-group trust. Further, people who believe misinformation about COVID-19 tend to distrust the general society when they perceive high in-group trust. This study contributes to the theorizing of the effects of the public’s information environment and suggests practical implications for facilitating information exchange across diverse sources.