A Model of Trust in Online COVID-19 Information and Advice: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people sought information from websites and social media. Understanding the extent to which these sources were trusted is important in relation to health communication.

This study aims to identify the key factors influencing UK citizens' trust and intention to act on advice about COVID-19 found via digital resources and to test whether an existing model of trust in eHealth provided a good fit for COVID-19-related information seeking online. We also wished to identify any differences between the evaluation of general information and information relating specifically to COVID-19 vaccines.

In total, 525 people completed an online survey in January 2022 encompassing a general web trust questionnaire, measures of information corroboration, coping perceptions, and intention to act. Data were analyzed using principal component analysis and structural equation modeling. The evaluation responses of general information and COVID-19 vaccine information were also compared.

The principal component analysis revealed 5 trust factors: (1) credibility and impartiality, (2) familiarity, (3) privacy, (4) usability, and (5) personal experiences. In the final structural equation modeling model, trust had a significant direct effect on intention to act (β=.65; P<.001). Of the trust factors, credibility and impartiality had a significant positive direct effect on trust (β=.82; P<.001). People searching for vaccination information felt less at risk, less anxious, and more optimistic after reading the information. We noted that most people sought information from "official" sources. Finally, in the context of COVID-19, "credibility and impartiality" remain a key predictor of trust in eHealth resources, but in comparison with previous models of trust in online health information, checking and corroborating information did not form a significant part of trust evaluations.

In times of uncertainty, when faced with a global emergent health concern, people place their trust in familiar websites and rely on the perceived credibility and impartiality of those digital sources above other trust factors.