SNS Usage and Third-person Effects in the Risk Perception of Zika Virus among Singaporean Women.
Eun Hwa JungLianshan ZhangElmie NekmatPublished in: Journal of health communication (2020)
This study examines the SNS activities of Singaporean women to assess how they perceive the risk of Zika virus infection based on the consumption of Zika-related news. Results from an online survey (N = 510) confirmed that third-person risk perception exists among study participants. Individual posting of ZIKA-related news on SNSs was negatively associated with third-person perception. Additionally, third-person perception was negatively correlated with preventive behavioral intention. A moderated mediation model analysis revealed that attention to ZIKA-related news on SNSs significantly moderates the indirect relationship between posting news of ZIKA on SNSs and preventive behavioral intention. The findings of this study are expected to increase the understanding of the third-person effect in the context of infectious diseases based on users' SNS activities.