The Internet Use and the Fear of Infection with Covid-19

Abstract Purpose During the Covid-19 pandemic, the accurate and timely information plays an important role in alleviating fear and panic. The internet provides the convenience for information acquisition and circulation, however, the massive and untruthful information exists in the internet at the same time, which makes the functions of internet use in Covid-19 pandemic undetermined. Therefore, we test the relationship between the internet use and the fear of infection with Covid-19. Methods We utilize the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) in the year of 2021 and the ordered-logit model. Results We find that the higher frequency of using the internet significantly increase the individuals fear of infection with Covid-19. The effects are more evident among the females and individuals with the average income. The plausible channels show that using the internet is the main source for individuals acquiring the information, decreases the trust for the medias and the face-to-face social activities with others, then thereby increasing the individuals fear of infection with Covid-19. Furthermore, we find that using the internet improves the probability of getting Covid-19 vaccine and changes the individuals attitudes towards the measures adopted by the government to prevent the Covid-19. Conclusions We find that the information in internet may amplify the panics during the cocial public events.