Perception of fear or exaggeration transmitted by the media in the Peruvian population during the Covid-19 pandemic

May 14, 2020

Mejia C, Rodriguez J, Garay L.

Revista Cubana de Investigaciones Biomédicas

This paper is an analytical and multicenter cross-sectional study. A virtual survey was carried out to 4009 people in 17 cities of Peru which was sought to evaluate three factors: the exaggeration of the media; the fear generated and the communication that came from health personnel, family and friends. According to the data obtained, the median age of the respondents was 23 years, and the majority stated that they had undergraduate university studies (67%). It was identified that people perceived that the media that exaggerated the magnitude of the situation were social networks, followed by television and newspapers. According to the perception of the fear generated by the situation, people stated that the media which most contributed to spread fear were at first television, secondly social networks and lastly the newspapers In regard to the communication which came from the healthcare sector or friends / family, people perceived that family and friends greatly exaggerated the situation and that they themselves were the ones who generated fear. The paper concludes that women and people with grade studies had a lesser perception of fear and exaggeration from the media information due to their ability to reach more trustworthy information.

Mejia C, Rodriguez J, Garay L., et al. Percepción de miedo o exageración que transmiten los medios de comunicación en la población peruana durante la pandemia de la COVID-19. Revista Cubana de Investigaciones Biomédicas. 2020; 39 (2)

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