The corona pandemic has been fraught with widespread rumors and it has aroused the interest of researchers.
Some rumors surrounding the corona pandemic are that the virus was deliberately spread by the Chinese military and that the new 5G network has weakened people’s immune systems. One thing that the researchers looked more closely at is the cause of what causes rumors to arise.
– It is when we are in situations where we do not receive information. There is a vacuum and a gap, then there is often speculation about what is actually happening, says Lars Nord who is a professor of science and communication at Mid Sweden University and co-author of the report.
When rumors arise Openness and communication are A and O according to Lars Nord, otherwise the rumor can have social consequences in the event of a major crisis.
– It is especially in situations where this rumor is not commented on or dealt with, where a vacuum arises, where no one comments on anything or no comments are made.
The scientific report is part of a larger research project that is a collaboration between Mid Sweden University, the Swedish Agency for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning, MSB, and a university in the USA.
In the next step, the researchers will examine how, for example, authorities choose to communicate in major crises, such as the corona pandemic.
Why is it important?
– Because that type of crisis tends, unfortunately, to become more common. And there is reason to look at how we communicate around them to solve the problems that these crises cause, says Lars Nord.