Monday, March 22, 2021

Interesting Article About COVID-19 Misunderstanding

The Brookings Institute had an interesting article about how sensational news coverage (is there any other kind?) have severely distorted knowledge od the problem, with Republicans tending to underestimate the problem, and Democrats more likely to overestimate the problem.  Example:

When asked to estimate the share of deaths by age group, the average American dramatically overestimates the share of COVID-19 deaths from people aged 24 and younger, putting it around 8%, when in fact it was 0.1% through August and has remained close to that level since. Meanwhile the elderly,  those 65 and older, had accounted for 81% of deaths at the time of the survey (and 79% through November). Democrats were further off than Republicans and more likely to overstate the risks to young people, even after accounting for age, race, gender, geographic, and educational differences. The fact that COVID-19 poses a much higher mortality risk to the old than the young was the most clear feature of the virus from very early on; it is remarkable that many Americans remain misinformed about this basic factor...

News is in the business of selling advertising.  The more sensational the story, the better. 

2 comments:

  1. When you know people in their 40s on ventilators, low percentages don't make sense.

    ReplyDelete
  2. They need Eyes on Screens. Just like the rags at the supermarket checkout stands need to say, "Pick Me Up and Buy Me".
    "Priscilla Presley's baby fathered by Alien."
    It isn't until you` actually buy it that you find out that it's an alien, all right, from Mexico.

    ReplyDelete