A new survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds that nearly half of US adults incorrectly think taking a daily low-dose aspirin reduces heart attack and stroke risk. The survey reveals significant gaps in understanding about aspirin use among older adults, with younger respondents more likely to correctly assess the risks.
A new survey finds that nearly three-quarters of US adults support requiring children to be vaccinated against preventable diseases, while over half support prohibiting unvaccinated children from attending school. However, support for this prohibition has dropped significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic, and there is growing support f...
A new study finds that media coverage of civilian casualties increases public support for U.S. involvement in conflicts when the victims are from allied countries, evoking empathy and a sense of democratic justification. However, this effect is absent when civilians from non-allied nations are affected.
According to a new survey, over half of U.S. adults believe the RSV vaccine is effective in protecting infants from the virus, up from 42% last year. The rise in perceived effectiveness comes as several politicians have cast doubt on the vaccine's safety and efficacy.
Cases of whooping cough are increasing in the US, with over 28,000 cases reported this year. A nationally representative survey found that many people lack knowledge about the disease's symptoms and vaccine effectiveness.
A study found that more newspaper accounts supported the holiday-suicide myth than debunked it, with only 42% of stories correcting the false idea. Despite this, experts emphasize that there is no correlation between holidays and suicide rates.
The book examines AI's current advances, hurdles, and potential, emphasizing the need for science to maintain core norms and values. Experts advocate for human accountability and responsibility when using AI in research, highlighting the importance of transparent disclosure and attribution.
Researchers found that bypassing misinformation, by providing accurate information with positive implications, can be superior to correction in situations where people form beliefs rather than attitudes. This approach has potential for informing strategies to combat misinformation and change behavior. The study suggests a more nuanced ...
Less than half of Americans know that drinking alcohol raises cancer risk, despite the CDC's claim that reducing alcohol intake lowers cancer risk. The Annenberg Public Policy Center survey found that 40% were unaware or misinformed about the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.
A recent survey found that only 15% of US adults are familiar with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number, up from 11% in August 2023. The number who inaccurately reported the number as 911 decreased to 1% in September 2024.
Researchers found that witnessing community members engage in prosocial behaviors increases policymakers' willingness to support pro-social policies, such as syringe service programs. The study suggests that communities can exert a positive influence on authorities and contribute to the greater good.
A comprehensive meta-analysis found that interventions increasing access to vaccines and providing transportation assistance tripled vaccination odds, particularly in low-income countries. Financial incentives also showed a moderate effect, but were less impactful.
A new study by Annenberg Public Policy Center researchers finds that science-consistent beliefs about climate change's public health effects predict support for climate policies. The study controlled for belief in climate change's existence and cause, highlighting the importance of grounded knowledge in promoting climate action.
Researchers found a consistent positive relation between social media use and vaccination across all major political parties. For Democrats, social media exposure predicted greater vaccine uptake due to increased information about new pathogens. For Republicans, believing others were vaccinated was the key factor.
A study found a strong association between media diet and science-consistent beliefs about climate change, with far-right media having a stronger negative impact on climate change beliefs and support for a carbon tax. Exposure to centrist and science media was positively associated with these beliefs.
Research by APPC scholars found that increased knowledge about Covid-19 vaccination made a significant difference in reducing the disparity between Black and White Americans' vaccination rates. This increase was associated with improved trust in vaccine safety and efficacy, as well as reduced skepticism towards vaccines.
The Supreme Court's shift to the right has led to a significant erosion of public trust and legitimacy, with Democrats seeing the court as less legitimate and Republicans viewing it more positively. The court's dramatic change since the 2022 Dobbs ruling has polarized the public along partisan lines for the first time in decades.
A recent survey found that less than half of the U.S. public trusts scientists to overcome human and political biases. Despite high confidence in science overall, many question whether scientists live up to their values. The study highlights the need for trust to be earned through the scientific enterprise's efforts.
Researchers propose renaming VAERS as the Vaccine Safety Sentinel to reduce misinformation, citing a lack of public understanding of the system's unverified reports. They also recommend improving the system with raw data and expanded public education.
A new study finds that experiencing record-breaking heat days increases perceptions that the weather is getting hotter, but has little effect on beliefs in climate change. Record-heat days can drive changes in the general perception that the weather is worsening, regardless of season or media coverage.
A study by Annenberg Public Policy Center researchers identifies five factors assessing science's self-presentation and their impact on public support for increasing US science funding. The factors capture differences between conservatives' and liberals' perceptions of science, highlighting key differences in what matters to each group.
A new study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that people are more likely to recommend an RSV vaccine if they understand the rigorous process of the FDA's vaccine approval process. The study showed that 57% of those exposed to a flowchart were very or somewhat likely to recommend the vaccine, compared to 40% in a control group.
A meta-analysis of 60,000 participants found that corrections are more successful when issues are emotionally positive, match ideology, and provide abundant details. However, polarized misinformation proves harder to correct, with corrections failing twice as often.
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) collects reports of adverse events after vaccination, but public confusion about its nature and reports has increased. A new report recommends renaming the system to a clearer alternative and making additional changes to reduce misinterpretation.
The article provides 12 recommendations to enhance the quality of surveys, including transparency, clarity, and correcting the record. The recommendations aim to address challenges in survey research, such as biased responses and inaccurate forecasts.
Research by Dan Romer finds that seasonal fluctuations and other factors eliminate the apparent suicide contagion effect reported from the release of '13 Reasons Why'. The study also reveals a decline in adolescent suicide rates during summer months when youths are not in school.
A pre-pandemic conspiratorial mindset was associated with hesitance to accept COVID-19 vaccines, a new study suggests. Individuals who held conspiracy theories prior to the pandemic were more likely to believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and report hesitancy to be vaccinated.
The Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge Monitor assesses public knowledge on climate, maternal health, vaccination, and more. The quarterly survey reports aim to highlight strengths and weaknesses in public knowledge and inform public health strategies.
Researchers attribute low vaccination rates in children to misconceptions about vaccine safety and Covid-19 vaccines. Misinformation about vaccine safety predicts reluctance to vaccinate both adults and children.
A new study suggests targeting early adolescent impulsivity could prevent later behavioral disorders. The research found that adolescents with high levels of impulsivity in early adolescence were at risk for developing antisocial personality disorder and alcohol use disorder.
A new study by researchers from the Annenberg Public Policy Center finds that exposure to alternative health media can affect beliefs about consequential health-care issues like vaccination. After Dr. Mehmet Oz endorsed the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine on a March 2019 episode of “The Dr. Oz Show,” significantly more people in hi...
A study published in PNAS found that trust and knowledge about vaccination are stronger predictors of vaccination than Covid-specific factors. Background beliefs and behavior regarding vaccination in general were more than twice as predictive of the change in vaccination as beliefs about the pandemic itself.
Conspiracy theorists used the conditional nature of science to erode trust in public health authorities' recommendations, making community immunity elusive. The Annenberg Public Policy Center scholar argues that exploiting scientific funding structures and updates fueled conspiracy theories.
A new study reveals that people who trust science are more likely to believe and disseminate false claims containing scientific references. In contrast, reminding them of the value of critical evaluation reduces belief in false claims. The findings have implications for curbing misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A study found that exposure to negative news stories about science without context can damage public perceptions of trust and confidence in scientific work. The researchers tested the effects of different narratives on a large group of U.S. adults and found that those who read problem-focused stories were less likely to believe that sc...
Researchers recommend surveillance, accurate diagnosis, and rapid response to counteract COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation. They also introduce a taxonomy of categories for different types of misinformation related to Covid-19 and vaccination.
A study found that users of conservative and social media were more likely to believe in COVID-19 conspiracies, with a significant increase in belief from March to July 2020. Mainstream news consumption was associated with decreased conspiracy beliefs.
A study by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that news coverage of expert scientific evidence on vaccine safety increases public acceptance of vaccines. In contrast, personal narratives about real side effects diminish the positive effect of such messages. The experiment tested six video clips featuring experts an...
Research by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that gun violence on popular prime-time TV dramas doubled from 2000 to 2018, with gun use substantially increasing and rising significantly as a proportion of the violence depicted in the shows. This trend parallels the rise in U.S. homicide deaths attributable to firearms.
Researchers found that prosocial concerns drive higher vaccination rates in rural areas than urban ones. The study suggests emphasizing prosocial aspects of vaccination can reduce the rural-urban disparity in vaccination. Vaccination protects not only individuals but also communities, highlighting its social nature.
A 2019 study found a contagion effect among boys, but an Annenberg Public Policy Center reanalysis concluded that the series had no clear effect on teen suicide. Recent commentaries challenge the reanalysis and defend it.
A new study reveals that believing in COVID-19 conspiracy theories predicts increased resistance to vaccination and preventive behaviors, including mask-wearing. The researchers found a widening gap between those who strongly believed in conspiracies and those who did not, with believers being less likely to wear masks and get vaccinated.
A study found that belief in negative vaccination misperceptions has a strong impact on policy views, with 20% of Americans holding negative views about vaccination. Strong support for mandatory childhood vaccinations was observed, but opposition to religious and personal belief exemptions remained significant.
A new study using big data and survey results from the 2018-19 flu season found strong associations between regional social media messages and vaccination attitudes and behavior. However, when people discussed vaccination with others, negative effects of social media on vaccine behavior disappeared.
A study by Annenberg Public Policy Center found that people relying on conservative media or social media were more likely to be misinformed about COVID-19 prevention and conspiracy theories. Mainstream broadcast and print media usage correlated with higher levels of correct information.
A new analysis found that Russian trolls used fake persona types to discuss vaccination on Twitter during the 2016 US election cycle. The researchers identified nine types of troll personas and found that they targeted specific political groups with pro- and anti-vaccination messages.
Pro-vaping and other tobacco videos on YouTube have seen dramatic increases in viewership over the past half-dozen years, despite ad bans. The research highlights the challenges of regulating online content and the potential for social media platforms to influence young people's health information.
A study found that people exposed to vaccine content on social media were more likely to be misinformed about vaccines than those exposed to it on traditional media. Up to 20% of respondents were at least somewhat misinformed, with common claims including the link between vaccines and autism.
A recent study contradicts a 2019 finding that linked the Netflix series '13 Reasons Why' to an increase in adolescent suicide rates among boys. After controlling for secular trends, the reanalysis found no effect from the show's release on boys or girls.
A new study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that scenes of unjustified and justified violence in movies activate different parts of the adolescent brain. Viewers show a synchronized response in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex when watching justified violence, suggesting they see it as acceptable for self- or f...