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

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

Content Provider	MDPI
Author	Li, Kai Li, Jie Zhou, Fen
Copyright Year	2022
Description	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.
Starting Page	6157
e-ISSN	16604601
DOI	10.3390/ijerph19106157
Journal	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Issue Number	10
Volume Number	19
Language	English
Publisher	MDPI
Publisher Date	2022-05-18
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Information and Library Science Online Rumor Sharing the Big Five Personality Traits Fear of Covid-19
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

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