Table 7.
Comparison of COVID-19 knowledge test answers between wave 1 and wave 2 (Within-group and Identical Items Only; N = 326).
| Item veracity | Knowledge test answers | Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Diff | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean percentage | 95% CI | Mean percentage | 95% CI | |||
| True statements (12 items)* | "I am sure this is true" | 57.0 | [54.6, 59.4] | 53.2 | [50.6, 55.9] | − 3.8 |
| "I think this is true" | 28.6 | [26.5, 30.6] | 31.2 | [28.9, 33.5] | + 2.6 | |
| "I don't know" | 8.4 | [7.3, 9.5] | 8.6 | [7.5, 9.6] | + 0.2 | |
| "I think this is not true" | 4.3 | [3.6, 4.9] | 5.1 | [4.2, 5.9] | + 0.8 | |
| "I am sure this is not true" | 1.7 | [1.3, 2.2] | 1.9 | [1.1, 2.8] | + 0.2 | |
| False statements (11 items)* | "I am sure this is true" | 4.7 | [3.9, 5.6] | 6.6 | [5.7, 7.5] | + 1.9 |
| "I think this is true" | 13.4 | [12.2, 14.7] | 14.9 | [13.8, 16.1] | + 1.5 | |
| "I don't know" | 13.9 | [12.5, 15.4] | 13.5 | [12.0, 15.0] | − 0.4 | |
| "I think this is not true" | 23.8 | [22.0, 25.6] | 22.1 | [20.2, 23.9] | − 1.7 | |
| "I am sure this is not true" | 44.1 | [41.7, 46.5] | 42.9 | [40.5, 45.3] | − 1.2 | |
| Conspiracy statements (7 items) | "I am sure this is true" | 0.3 | [0.0, 0.6] | 0.9 | [0.4, 1.4] | + 0.6 |
| "I think this is true" | 2.5 | [1.6, 3.3] | 3.2 | [2.1, 4.4] | + 0.8 | |
| "I don't know" | 14.2 | [11.4, 17.0] | 11.3 | [8.8, 13.7] | − 2.9 | |
| "I think this is not true" | 19.6 | [16.6, 22.6] | 19.4 | [16.5, 22.3] | − 0.2 | |
| "I am sure this is not true" | 63.5 | [59.3, 67.6] | 65.2 | [61.1, 69.2] | + 1.7 | |
| Negated conspiracy statement (1 item) | "I am sure this is true" | 28.5 | [23.6, 33.4] | 26.7 | [21.9, 31.5] | − 1.8 |
| "I think this is true" | 27.9 | [23.0, 32.8] | 26.7 | [21.9, 31.5] | − 1.2 | |
| "I don't know" | 23.0 | [18.4, 27.6] | 22.7 | [18.1, 27.3] | − 0.3 | |
| "I think this is not true" | 13.2 | [9.5, 16.9] | 12.9 | [9.2, 16.5] | − 0.3 | |
| "I am sure this is not true" | 7.4 | [4.5, 10.2] | 11.0 | [7.6, 14.5] | + 3.7 | |
This table shows comparative descriptives of the COVID-19 Knowledge Test of Wave 1 (March 27, 2020) and Wave 2 (July 1, 2020). The percentages are based on a subset of participants that participated in both surveys. The items that were not presented to participants in Wave 1 were removed. One item of the false items was moved to the correct statement category in Wave 2, and therefore also removed from this comparison. Differences in percentages that show overlap between CIs are presented in grey font colour.