People are more likely to share Covid-19 information from experts than celebs

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Sorry Kim! People are more likely to share Covid-19 information if it comes from experts like Dr Fauci than if they hear it from celebs, study reassures

  • Swiss researchers gave a questionnaire to more than 12,000 people in March  
  • Asked how likely a they were to share guidance that supported social distancing
  • People were more likely to share this when they were told it came from Dr Anthony Fauci than a politician or celebrity  

By Joe Pinkstone For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Members of the public are more likely to share coronavirus advice with their friends if they hear it from renowned experts opposed to celebrities, a new study finds. 

The reassuring research reveals Dr Anthony Fauci and Professor Chris Whitty, who are leading the coronavirus response in the US and UK, respectively, are better spokespeople than politicians and celebrities. 

Swiss researchers surveyed more than 12,000 people from six countries in the last week of March 2020.

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Members of the public are more likely to share coronavirus advice with their friends if they hear it from Dr Anthony Fauci (pictured), head of the US task force than celebrities 

The reassuring study mean Dr Anthony Fauci and Professor Chris Whitty, who are leading the coronavirus response in the US and UK, respectively, are better spokespeople than politicians and prominent influencers, including Kim Kardashian (pictured)

The reassuring study mean Dr Anthony Fauci and Professor Chris Whitty, who are leading the coronavirus response in the US and UK, respectively, are better spokespeople than politicians and prominent influencers, including Kim Kardashian (pictured)

One of the questions related to how likely a person was to share information that recommended people follow social distancing. 

Participants were told the statement was supported by one of four spokespeople: Anthony Fauci, Tom Hanks, Kim Kardashian, or a prominent government official from the survey taker’s country.

In all six countries featured in the study (US, Brazil, Italy, South Korea, Spain and Switzerland), a message from Dr Fauci was found to be the most effective. 

Endorsement by either Green Mile actor Mr Hanks or Instagram sensation Ms Kardashian was less likely to prompt willingness to share than endorsement by a government official, the data also showed.  

Study participants were asked to give a score between one and seven for how likely they were to share advice from various people. Brazilians were the most likely to share information, irrespective of source, as they gave the highest mark out of all six countries for every person

Study participants were asked to give a score between one and seven for how likely they were to share advice from various people. Brazilians were the most likely to share information, irrespective of source, as they gave the highest mark out of all six countries for every person

‘While we observed spokespersons who were liked by their audience to be more effective at increasing respondents’ willingness to re-distribute a public health message, the relative effectiveness between expert, government, and celebrity spokespersons did not change, with the expert being the most effective,’ the researchers say.  

‘Thus, identifying and empowering liked and trusted experts is a key component of effective public health communication during the ongoing pandemic, and it is likely preferable to using celebrity advocates.’

Study participants were asked to give a score between one and seven for how likely they were to share advice from various people. 

Brazilians were the  most likely to share information, irrespective of source, as they gave the highest mark out of all six countries for every person.  

Spaniards were the least likely to share information from a Government official while the Swiss were the most dubious of celebrities. 

The research is published in the journal PLOS ONE.  

Temperature, humidity and wind could be used to predict another wave of coronavirus 

Air temperature and humidity play a key role in determining when and where a second wave of the pandemic will strike, new research shows. 

Researchers say current forecasting models only take into account two factors – rate of transmission and recovery.

But by including data on humidity and temperature, researchers from Cyprus have been able to add a level of nuance that allows for more accurate forecasting. 

‘The results suggest that two pandemic outbreaks per year are inevitable because they are directly linked to what we call weather seasonality,’ the researchers write in their study. 

Talib Dbouk and Dimitris Drikakis, from the University of Nicosia, created a computer model which accounts for variations in weather as well as virus behaviour. 

This was called the AIR (Airborne Infection Rate) index and focuses on the concentration of coronavirus particles under different conditions.  

AIR was applied to coronavirus data from summer 2020 in Paris, New York City and Rio de Janeiro and was able to predict the second wave of Covid-19 in these cities.