Table 3:
Suspected intentions and links of COVID-19 FNMs
| Frequency (#) | Percent (%) | Cumulative percent (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspected intention | |||
| Confusion | 137 | 40.1 | 40.1 |
| Conspiracy theories | 93 | 27.2 | 67.3 |
| Help with prevention | 34 | 9.9 | 77.2 |
| Help with treatment | 22 | 6.4 | 83.6 |
| Phishing/scam/spam | 19 | 5.6 | 89.2 |
| Virus transmission | 12 | 3.5 | 92.7 |
| Sales of meds/products | 11 | 3.2 | 95.9 |
| Diagnostics | 2 | 0.6 | 96.5 |
| Humor | 2 | 0.6 | 97.1 |
| Other | 10 | 2.9 | 100.0 |
| Linked to | |||
| None/nothing | 159 | 46.5 | 46.5 |
| Website and social media | 83 | 24.3 | 70.8 |
| Website only | 51 | 14.9 | 85.7 |
| Hashtags | 26 | 7.6 | 93.3 |
| Government organizations | 6 | 1.8 | 95.0 |
| Tweeter | 5 | 1.5 | 96.5 |
| Phone number | 2 | 0.6 | 97.1 |
| Graphics | 2 | 0.6 | 97.7 |
| 1 | 0.3 | 98.0 | |
| Other | 7 | 2.0 | 100.0 |
| Against | |||
| Science | 176 | 51.5 | 51.5 |
| Prevention measures | 20 | 5.8 | 57.3 |
| USA | 14 | 4.1 | 61.4 |
| China | 13 | 3.8 | 65.2 |
| Covid information | 13 | 3.8 | 69.0 |
| Vaccines | 13 | 3.8 | 72.8 |
| Unicef | 12 | 3.5 | 76.3 |
| Politician | 11 | 3.2 | 79.5 |
| Technology | 11 | 3.2 | 82.7 |
| Treatment | 6 | 1.8 | 84.5 |
| Pharma | 4 | 1.2 | 85.7 |
| Celebrity | 3 | 0.9 | 86.5 |
| Governments | 3 | 0.9 | 87.4 |
| CDC | 2 | 0.6 | 88.0 |
| WHO | 2 | 0.6 | 88.6 |
| Diagnosis | 2 | 0.6 | 89.2 |
| Japan | 2 | 0.6 | 89.8 |
| Western Countries | 2 | 0.6 | 90.4 |
| Others | 33 | 9.6 | 100.0 |