COVID-19 Governance Series: Addressing the Role of Misinformation

Misinformation campaigns regarding COVID-19 and vaccines have spread rapidly throughout the world. These misinformation campaigns have hindered efforts by governments and health authorities to combat the spread of the virus and to encourage mass vaccine adoption. As part of the Evidence in Governance and Politics (EGAP)'s initiative to fund research on governance issues relating to the pandemic, we invited two recipients of EGAP's research grants on COVID-19 studies to present the findings of their studies.

Verónica Hurtado Lozada presented the findings from her project, "Assessing the Effectiveness of Correcting COVID-19 Political Misinformation in Peru," which looked at whether voters reduced their support for presidential candidates that spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines once they were presented with corrective information.

Juan Carlos Rodríguez Raga (along with his research team: Laura Fernanda Cely, Wilson Forero, and Juan José Corredor) presented the findings from their project, "'When Will the Vaccine Arrive?' Expectations and Disinformation over COVID-19", which examined the factors that lead individuals to become vaccine skeptics and how exposure to misinformation (and corrective information) can alter that skepticism.