Coronavirus: sharing too much information on pandemic may have a negative impact on family relationships, Hong Kong survey finds
- HKU research on 4,914 people finds pandemic is the most common phone chat topic for nearly 80 per cent of respondents
- Study results also show elderly people are less likely to check facts before sending information on the health crisis to others
A University of Hong Kong survey commissioned by the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s SMART Family-Link Project polled 4,914 people on their use of messaging app group chats, finding the most common topic of communication for nearly 80 per cent of respondents was the pandemic.
Sending too much coronavirus-related information can cause information overload, according to Dr Kelvin Wang Man-ping, a co-investigator for the School of Public Health project and associate professor at HKU’s School of Nursing.
“If one constantly sends information [about the pandemic], it can cause unhappiness and tension with other family members, who may not be interested in constantly receiving it or could already have other health matters to deal with,” he said.
The negative impact could worsen if the information was not fact-checked properly, Wang added, noting that people who constantly sent Covid-19 messages might also draw negative attention or even rebukes from family members if their sources proved unreliable.
Among respondents aged 65 and above, 75.4 per cent said they always forwarded pandemic information to their family members, though just 63.7 per cent said they typically fact-checked thoroughly before sending it.