The Effects of Personality Traits on Online Rumor Sharing: The Mediating Role of Fear of COVID-19

Kai Li, Jie Li and Fen Zhou
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Kai Li: School of Journalism and Communication, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Jie Li: School of Journalism and Communication, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
Fen Zhou: School of Journalism and Communication, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 10, 1-13

Abstract: This study aims to explore the effects of personality traits on online rumor sharing during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the mediating role of the fear of COVID-19 between them. We conducted this research using a web-based questionnaire distributed to 452 university students who were invited to fill it out. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used to test the data and model, with the yielded results demonstrating that three—extroversion, emotional instability, and conscientiousness—of the Big Five personality traits are positively related to a fear of COVID-19, with this fear positively affecting online rumor sharing. Moreover, fear of COVID-19 was found to act as a mediator between personality traits and online rumor sharing; thus, we can conclude that persons with high levels of extroversion, emotional instability, and conscientiousness are more likely to share rumors online due to a fear of COVID-19. This study furthers our understanding of the psychological mechanism by which personality traits influence online rumor sharing and provides references for anti-rumor campaigns taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it identifies key groups and sheds light on the necessity of reducing people’s fear of COVID-19.

Keywords: online rumor sharing; the Big Five personality traits; fear of COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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