Efectos de la inoculación psicológica Go Viral! sobre las creencias conspiratorias acerca de las vacunas para COVID-19 en una muestra universitaria de Perú

Conspiracy theories can affect health by undermining public health policies. The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of Go Viral! on vaccine conspiracy beliefs for COVID-19. Fifty-two college students participated, male (42.3%) and female (57.7%). With a quasi-experimental design (control and experimental group), Go Viral! was applied to the experimental group and the control group was exposed to a different stimulus. The results showed that conspiratorial beliefs were initially observed in both groups (23% - 42%) and after the administration of Go Viral! decreased in the experimental group (4% - 15%), p < .001. On the other hand, the control group (27% and 38%) showed no changes, p =.819. In addition, the post-test showed significant effects and differences with p < 0.001 in both groups. Finally, the limitations and implications for the design of public policies to reduce misinformation are discussed.