Data for understanding trust in varied information sources, use of news media, and perception of misinformation regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan

Abstract

The current data from 537 Pakistani millennials tell us about their trust in different information sources, the use of news media, and the perception of misinformation regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan. The dataset includes variables such as age, marital status, gender, social class, residential area, trust in the source of information, use of news media for coronavirus information, and perception of misinformation regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan. We fielded a survey from April 24 to May 12, 2020, via Qualtrics to obtain a convenient sample of younger and older adults in Pakistan. During this time, the number of new cases increased from 12,733 to 34,336. The surge took place despite the country being under a strict nationwide lockdown with the government relentlessly seeking the support of its policies from the people. This data may help scholars to understand how people of Pakistan interacted with different information sources, in comparison with other countries.

Keywords

• Covid-19 pandemic
• Trust in information source
• Misinformation
• Pakistan
• Online survey
• Media use