meppelink-2019-health-literacy-confirmation-bias
IN premise — summaries/2026/08/24/wiki-Confirmation_bias-chunk-6.md
Created 2026-08-25T02:58:47+00:00
Meppelink et al. (2019) found that individuals with lower health literacy exhibit stronger confirmation bias when seeking online health information, especially in vaccination contexts.
Summary
People who are less comfortable navigating health information tend to fall into echo chambers when searching online, particularly around vaccines, seeking out content that already agrees with their views rather than exploring the full picture. This matters because it suggests vaccine hesitancy isn't just a knowledge gap but is amplified by a cognitive trap that disproportionately affects the very people who most need clear, accessible guidance.