NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2018
/PRNewswire/ -- A new survey profiling how American adults
access, use and feel about health-related information finds that
most American social media users who regularly seek health
information are concerned about incorrect or misleading medical
information on social media, and few have found health information
on social media to be accurate. These findings are consistent
across generations. The survey, The Great American Search for
Healthcare Information, was conducted among 1,700 Americans 18
years of age and older. It was commissioned by global
communications and marketing services firm Weber Shandwick in
partnership with KRC Research. The survey focused on Healthcare
Information Seekers, those Americans who look for health-related
information at least once per year, excluding doctor appointments.
This large-scale study of Americans was designed to help
communicators and marketers in the health sector guide their
strategic and tactical content decisions.
"In a time of information-overload and cynicism inflamed by
'fake news,' communicators and marketers face new and unique
challenges around how to effectively engage with their customers,"
said Laura Schoen, President of
Weber Shandwick's Global Healthcare Practice. "But as the demand
for online information grows, and as the landscape continues to be
increasingly muddied by inaccurate – and at times dangerous –
information, the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors have a
greater responsibility than ever before to find ways to create and
deliver engaging, relevant and factual information."
Americans Have Healthy Doses of Skepticism About Health
Information on Social Media
Two-thirds of American
Healthcare Information Seekers (67 percent) report that they see
health information on social media. The types of information they
see on social media are mostly wellness advice (56 percent) and
advertisements for treatments or medications (52 percent).
Seeing is not necessarily believing, however. More than eight in
10 Healthcare Information Seekers who have seen health information
on social media (83 percent) say they are concerned about incorrect
or misleading medical information. Only 35 percent report that, in
their experience, the information is mostly accurate. Slightly
more, 38 percent, say they have no idea of its veracity and 27
percent say it is mostly inaccurate. These numbers indicate that
people are exposed to health information through social media, but
recognize how hard it is to know what is true, especially in the
face of complex information and seemingly conflicting facts or
studies.
Particularly compelling about this data is that concerns about
and experiences with accuracy of social health information are
consistent across generations. For example, the youngest cohort in
our study, Gen Z, is just as likely to be concerned about incorrect
or misleading information as the much older Boomer generation (91
percent and 87 percent, respectively). This suggests that social
media comfort and proficiency do not have a bearing on perceptions
of legitimacy, leading to the conclusion that it is the content or
channel that is the challenge for health-related information
communicators.
|
American
Healthcare Information Seekers who Use Social Media
|
|
Total
|
Gen
Z*
(age
18-
21)
|
Millennial
(age
22-
37)
|
Gen
X
(age
38-53)
|
Boomer
(age
54-
72)
|
Silent/
Greatest*
(age
73+)
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
% Very or somewhat
concerned about incorrect or
misleading medical and health information on
social media sites
|
83
|
91
|
80
|
84
|
87
|
74
|
% Report that the
health-related information they
have seen on social media is…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mostly
accurate
|
35
|
34
|
41
|
33
|
28
|
29
|
Mostly
inaccurate
|
27
|
34
|
32
|
22
|
24
|
27
|
Not sure/have no
idea
|
38
|
32
|
27
|
45
|
48
|
44
|
*Small sample
size
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
While health information on social media has a credibility
problem, Healthcare Information Seekers exposed to it identify
several solutions for instilling more confidence: social healthcare
information should be cited by a medical professional (43 percent),
it should cite a scientific study (38 percent), it should be
associated with a trusted brand (37 percent) and it should be cited
by a trusted school or research organization (36 percent). The
findings show a demand and opportunity for medical information on
social media to be verified by respected third-party sources.
Medical Professionals – Not Necessarily Doctors – Provide the
Most Satisfactory Information
When it comes to satisfactory
experiences with the information sources that are used, medical
professionals far surpass any other source. At the very top of the
list that users of health information were 'very satisfied' with
are physician's assistants/nurses and eye doctors (tied at 66
percent).
Medical information websites fall just below average in terms of
satisfaction (39 percent) despite their widespread use by 53
percent of Healthcare Information Seekers. This disparity may point
to a significant opportunity for these platforms to demonstrate
that there are medical professionals "behind" the content.
Physicians May Have a Millennial Problem
The
Millennial generation is least likely to be very satisfied with the
information provided by medical doctors. In evaluating other
attitudes toward physicians, the study suggests that doctors may be
contending with a Millennial trust challenge. In addition to their
lower satisfaction levels with information from doctors (on a basis
relative to other generations), Millennials are the least likely
generation to say they always listen to their doctor(s), the most
likely to believe that online health-related information is as
reliable as that from medical professionals and the most likely to
say they trust their peers more than medical professionals.
|
Healthcare
Information Seekers
|
|
Total
|
Gen
Z
|
Millennial
|
Gen
X
|
Boomer
|
Silent/
Greatest
|
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
%
|
% Very satisfied
with information from medical
doctor
|
57
|
62*
|
49
|
55
|
61
|
66
|
%
Strongly/Somewhat Agree with these statements
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I always listen to my
doctor[s]
|
77
|
71
|
69
|
75
|
83
|
94
|
Health-related
information on the Internet is as
reliable as information from medical professionals
|
49
|
40
|
55
|
51
|
48
|
31
|
I trust my peers more
than I trust medical
professionals
|
26
|
32
|
38
|
25
|
14
|
11
|
*Small sample size of
Gen Zs who get health-related information from medical
doctors
|
A Guide to Engaging Americans with Healthcare
Information
There is a ravenous appetite for healthcare
information in the United States
today. Healthcare and biopharmaceutical companies and brands should
recognize that a sizeable majority of Americans are seeking health
information.
"Healthcare companies need to realize that the proliferation of
misinformation and lack of trust online is actually an
opportunity," said Stacey Bernstein,
Executive Vice President and Global Director of Digital Health at
Weber Shandwick. "As some of the most information-rich,
research-driven organizations in the world, they are poised perhaps
better than anyone else to provide the credible and relevant
information that consumers are so actively seeking."
Based on our research, Weber Shandwick recommends basic
guidelines for successfully interacting with customers. Below are a
sample of guidelines; more can be found in our full report.
- Design your content for discovery. Consumers find
healthcare information in a variety of places. By building content
that is discoverable across multiple channels – online and offline
– you can intersect your customers across their journey and ensure
that they find the credible information they're looking for.
- Use succinct, clear and plain language in your
communications. Recognize that people are swimming in
information and overwhelmed by the volume, creating confusion and
perceptions of conflicting facts.
- Customize your approaches. Although there is
surprisingly little difference in the number of Healthcare
Information Seekers across generations, Gen Z and Millennials have
different medical needs than Boomers and the Silent/Greatest
generation, so content should deliver against those unique
experiences. Further, Americans respect specialized expertise:
different sources are credible on different health
topics/issues.
- Prove your online credibility from the outset. Trust is
earned, and there's an uphill battle to be fought to convince
customers that information online, especially found on social
media, is credible and trustworthy. Showcase your research-driven
approach, include validation from medical professionals and
experts, and bring your partners into the fold. Shore up
attention-getting and awareness-building communications via social
media channels with supporting evidence and facts from credible
sources.
- Provide medical doctors with support to find ways to build
trust with Millennials. A perception that peers are as capable
as doctors of providing healthcare information, or potentially that
healthcare information can be "crowdsourced," is concerning.
Physicians need to understand the root cause of this sentiment and
address it before it is too late.
Please click here for the full
The Great American Search for Healthcare Information report
and presentation. It includes additional findings such as the types
of health information Americans seek, their use of new digital
health services and apps and attitudes about the concerns vs.
advantages of the state of healthcare information today.
About the Research
Weber Shandwick, in partnership
with KRC Research, conducted a 20-minute national survey of 1,700
American adults age 18 and over. The sample was drawn from a large
national consumer panel, and conducted both online and by telephone
to reach seniors 65 years and older. Data was weighted to be
demographically representative of U.S. adults based on Census
reference data. Interviews took place from May 14 – June 1,
2018. We defined "health-related information" at the outset
of the survey as "information about physical or mental health,
healthcare, and health insurance." The generations that are
reported in the study are defined by Pew Research as follows: Gen
Z: ages 18-21; Millennial: ages 22-37; Gen X: ages 38-53; Baby
Boomer: ages 54-72; Silent/Greatest: ages 73+. Healthcare
Information Seekers are defined as those who report they have
looked for health-related information at least once during the past
year, excluding doctor appointments.
About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading
global communications and marketing services firm in 78 cities with
a network extending to 128 cities around the world. The firm's
diverse team of strategists, analysts, producers, designers,
developers and campaign activators has won the most prestigious
awards in the world for innovative, creative approaches and
impactful work. Weber Shandwick was the only public relations
agency included on the Advertising Age Agency A-list in 2014
and 2015 and the only PR firm designated an A-List Agency Standout
in 2017 and 2018. Weber Shandwick was honored as PRWeek's
Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, The
Holmes Report's Global Agency of the Year in 2010, 2012, 2014,
2015 and 2017, and The Holmes Report's Global Digital Agency
of the Year in 2016. The firm deploys deep expertise across sectors
and specialty areas, including consumer marketing, corporate
reputation, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial
services, employee engagement, social impact, financial
communications and crisis management, using proprietary social,
digital and analytics methodologies. Weber Shandwick is part of the
Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit
http://www.webershandwick.com.
About KRC Research
KRC Research is a global
full-service nonpartisan opinion research and strategy firm. A unit
of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research
offers the quality and custom service of a small firm with the
reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, KRC Research has
worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and
the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with
multidisciplinary research professionals, KRC combines
sophisticated research tools with real-world communications
experience. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com.
Contact:
|
Kim Dixon
|
Company:
|
Weber
Shandwick
|
Phone:
|
212.546.7876
|
Email:
|
kdixon@webershandwick.com
|
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