Dueling COVID-19 misinformation: Perceptions and behavior of the rural population from South Asian countries

This multi-lingual study presents the awareness, perceptions, and behavior regarding COVID-19 “misinformation” and “fake news,” among the rural population of the South Asian (SA) countries of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. The survey questionnaire was distributed to a convenient sample of 400 respondents from the three most populated SA countries selected due to their shared socio-cultural history; limited by fund availability and travel restrictions due to the prevailing lockdowns during the data collection period of early 2022. Results indicate that 92.98% of the participants perceived the presence of COVID-19 misinformation to varying degrees around them with less than 10% finding it easy to verify the accuracy of the information. The results indicate that the participants initially believed the made-up news and information to be true and then experienced fear or uncertainty upon realizing that it was fake. Results further show significant differences in perception and behavior when analyzed with the parameters of gender, age, education, and religion. Our study highlighted that female respondents perceived less than male respondents that fake news was around them, and younger participants of the study had less perception of the presence of fake news around them. The present study also found that the education level of respondents is a strong predictor of their perception of COVID-19 misinformation. Respondents with high school degrees perceived less made-up news and information than associate and master-level degree holders. The findings indicate a lack of media literacy, with a vast majority of individuals being susceptible to false information. The findings of the study will help healthcare professionals, information professionals, social workers, extension workers, and policymakers to deal with the Infodemic and further also assist in designing shared health information literacy programs across the region.