Predictors of News Media Use in the COVID-19 Pandemic Cover Image

Predyktory korzystania z mediów informacyjnych podczas pandemii COVID-19
Predictors of News Media Use in the COVID-19 Pandemic

A Brief Research Report

Author(s): Magdalena Iwanowska, Blanka Kondratowicz-Nowak, Anna Maria Zawadzka
Subject(s): Media studies, Health and medicine and law
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Warmińsko-Mazurskiego w Olsztynie
Keywords: personal goals; news media use; COVID-19 fear & worries; COVID-19 pandemic;

Summary/Abstract: Aim: The research aimed to explore personal goals and COVID-19-related fear & worriesas predictors of news media use during a health crisis – the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: A correlational online study was conducted with 371 subjects (Mage = 28.88,SDage = 10.25).Results: The results showed that, as expected, the importance of the health goal and the level of COVID-19 fear & worries positively predicted news media use, and the im- portance placed on the exciting life goal negatively predicted news media use during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no significant relationship between the safety goal and news media use. However, the study revealed that COVID-19 fear & worries partially mediated the relationship between the safety goal and news media use.Conclusions: Study confirms that personal goals and negative emotions related to a crisis play an important role in understanding how and why people use the news media in a cri- sis. The limitations of the study and theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

  • Issue Year: 66/2023
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 63-75
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Polish