more than 40 per cent of americans lied about covid-19
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as of september 28, 2022, a total of 1,053,173 covid-19 deaths have been reported in the united states, according to the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention (cdc). getty
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an alarming nationwide survey led by university of utah health scientists has revealed that four of 10 americans admit they weren’t truthful about contracting covid-19 or complying with the public health precautions during the height of the global pandemic.
the most common reasons behind the lies were the desire to feel normal and to demonstrate personal freedom.
the authors say the study, published jama network, should raise concern since misrepresentation and the failure to follow key health and safety measures could intensify this fall’s covid-19 resurgence and potentially affect the spread of other infectious diseases.
as of september 28, 2022, a total of 1,053,173 covid-19 deaths have been reported in the united states, according to the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) — a heavy death toll that continues to climb. globally, infection numbers are also on the rise and data from the world health organization (who) confirms another wave of covid is emerging in europe.
covid safety measures work
“covid-19 safety measures can certainly be burdensome, but they work,” andrea gurmankin levy, professor of social sciences at middlesex community college in connecticut, said in a news release on the investigation into covid-19 misrepresentation. “when people are dishonest about their covid-19 status or what precautions they are taking, it can increase the spread of disease in their community. for some people, particularly before we had covid vaccines, that can mean death.”
liar, liar
the study, prompted by media reports of people lying about their vaccination status, surveyed more than 1,700 people in december 2021 about whether they had ever been dishonest about their vaccination status, covid-19 status, or had told people they were following public health recommendations when they weren’t. the screening questions helped to evenly divide the survey participants into three categories: one-third who had contracted covid-19, one-third who were vaccinated and had not had covid-19, and one-third who were unvaccinated and had not had covid-19.
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of the respondents, 721 — 42 per cent — reported that they had been dishonest about their covid-19 status or failed to follow public health measures. the most common behaviours were breaking quarantine rules, telling someone they were with or about to visit that they were taking more covid-19 precautions than they were, saying they were vaccinated when they weren’t, and not revealing that they might have had, or knew that they had, covid-19 when going into a doctor’s office.
lying was prevalent in all age groups under 60 and people who distrusted the science behind prevention strategies. roughly 60 per cent said they had asked for a doctor’s advice for covid-19 prevention or treatment.
politics or religion didn’t influence lying
the study also found no link found between covid-19 misrepresentation and political or religious beliefs. in fact, some of the reasons given for lying included thinking covid-19 wasn’t real, not considering it a “big deal,” feeling that it was “no one else’s business,” they didn’t feel sick or the inability to miss work while sick.
what’s also troubling is that scientists could not determine if respondents honestly answered survey questions, so findings potentially underestimate how common misrepresentation actually was — and continues to be.
“this study goes a long way toward showing us what concerns people have about the public health measures implemented in response to the pandemic and how likely they are to be honest in the face of a global crisis,” alistair thorpe, co-first author and post-doctoral researcher in population health sciences at the university of utah, said in the news release. “knowing that will help us better prepare for the next wave of worldwide illness.”
karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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