University at Buffalo
"[I]nformation quality and accessibility to information channels influence information seeking, which is a... finding with theoretical and practical implications for other science communication issues."
Repeated vaccine scandals have shaken Chinese parents' confidence in vaccine safety. For example, in 2019, over 100 children received expired polio vaccines in eastern China. The country's information environment is heavily monitored by the government, meaning that people have more limited access to information, including about vaccination. This study examines what social cognitive factors motivate people to search for risk information in a highly censored media system, using the risk information seeking and processing (RISP) model. The goal, from a communication perspective, was to identify motivational factors that drive Chinese parents to actively seek information about the vaccine scandals and process relevant information in a thoughtful and elaborate manner ("systematic processing").