OU platform hosts investigation into fake facts about COVID-19

An investigation which tests how likely people are to believe COVID-19 related news stories, has been launched on the OU’s nQuire platform.

The nQuire platform, which is already hosting COVID-19 and you, a survey of how people are living through the pandemic, was developed by the OU in partnership with the BBC and is capable of hosting large-scale surveys.

This new project, COVID-19: fact or fake, led by the University of Wolverhampton, has created on online survey in English and Dutch.

Participants are asked questions about their online life during the crisis, their susceptibility to conspiracy theories and they will be asked to rate the plausibility of COVID-19 related news stories.

The survey is designed to understand how nations and cultures respond in different ways to news stories about COVID-19. The team will also analyse how factors such as age, gender, and location influence people’s responses to COVID-related disinformation.

OU nQuire lead, Dr Christothea Herodotou, Senior Lecturer in the OU’s Institute of Educational Technology (IET), said:

“This confidential mission is asking participants to reflect on their social media uses and whether these have changed lately due to the pandemic, as well as to judge the correctness of a set of statements such as whether the COVID-19 virus was a bioweapon made in a lab. Participants receive personalised feedback after they submit their answers that can help debunk some popular myths or false facts.”

Take part in the survey