EPA-EFE / BORIS PEJOVIC
Citizens of Montenegro
One third of Montenegrin citizens believe in conspiracy theories about the coronavirus, according to a survey conducted by the Ipsos research agency in March this year, on a representative sample.
According to the results of the research, which was conducted with the support of the British Embassy in Podgorica and UNICEF, among those who believe in conspiracy theories, there are more people with basic and lower level of education than among others.
The survey showed that conspiracy theories are more believed by people who have been exposed to a large amount of inaccurate information about the coronavirus, as well as people who state that they were lucky if they managed to find the desired information on the subject.
Among the citizens who stated that they did not follow the information about the epidemic from several sources, there are significantly more who believe in misinformation and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and vaccines than among other respondents.
– These data indicate the importance of media literacy for public health, because it enables people to find information that interests them, as well as to critically review any information and check it in reliable, professional sources – said Vladimir Raicevic, director of the research agency Ipsos.
According to UNICEF, the data on the impact of conspiracy theories on the behavior of citizens point to the conclusion that it is very important for public health to strengthen media literacy and a culture of dialogue, as well as open communication with doctors.
Comments are closed.