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)
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
‘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.
