1. Information scanning in the COVID-19 pandemic: a test and expansion of the channel complementarity theory using latent class analysis.
- Author
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Pena-y-Lillo, Macarena and Mohammadi, Leila
- Subjects
STRUCTURAL equation modeling ,MASS media ,MEDICINE information services ,MULTIVARIATE analysis ,INTERNET ,SOCIAL media ,INTERVIEWING ,FAMILIES ,HEALTH information services ,SURVEYS ,CRONBACH'S alpha ,RESEARCH funding ,QUESTIONNAIRES ,TELEVISION ,ACCESS to information ,INFORMATION-seeking behavior ,SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors ,RADIO (Medium) ,COVID-19 pandemic ,WORLD Wide Web - Abstract
During health crisis, individuals need information to comprehend their circumstances. Channel complementarity theory posits that in meeting their informational needs, people will use different sources in a complementary fashion. This paper puts to test the main tenet of channel complementarity theory by focusing on information scanning (i.e. routine health information exposure) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile. A survey was conducted among a sample of Chilean adults (N = 2,805). The questionnaire addressed information scanning across six sources (television, radio, internet, social media, family, and friends or coworkers) and explores how socioeconomic and demographic variables, as well as COVID-19 perceived risk related to scanning. Latent class analysis was employed to identify patterns of complementarity across channels. The analysis yielded a solution of five classes, namely 'high complementarity and high frequency' (21%), 'high complementarity and low frequency' (34%), 'high frequency on television and digital media' (19%), 'mass media predominant' (11%), and 'no scanning' (15%). Educational attainment, age, and COVID-19 perceived risk were associated with scanning. Television was a central channel for information scanning during the pandemic in Chile and more than half of participants scanned COVID-19 information complementarily. Our findings expand channel complementarity theory to information scanning in a non-US context and provide guidelines for designing communication interventions aiming at informing individuals during a global health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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