More than a fifth of people in England believe Covid-19 is a hoax
More than a fifth of people believe that the coronavirus crisis is a hoax, new research suggests.
The study, conducted by the University of Oxford, saw 2,500 English adults take part in the Oxford Coronavirus Explanations, Attitudes, and Narratives Survey between 4-11 May 2020.
The team of clinical psychologists state that the data from the survey indicates a large number of adults in England do not agree with the scientific and governmental consensus on the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the results, almost three fifths (59% per cent) of adults in England believe to some extent that the government is misleading the public about the cause of the virus.
Similarly, more than a fifth (21 per cent) believe the virus is a hoax, and 62 per cent agree to some extent that the virus is man-made.
When asked whether they believed that coronavirus is a bio-weapon developed by China to destroy the West, 55 per cent said they did not agree, 20.2 per cent said they agreed a little and 5.5 per cent agreed completely.
Meanwhile 79 per cent said they did not agree that coronavirus is caused by 5G.
“Such ideas were associated with paranoia, general vaccination conspiracy beliefs, climate change conspiracy belief, a conspiracy mentality, and distrust in institutions and professions,” the scientists wrote in the journal Psychological Medicine. [Continue reading…]