The Dynamics of News and Social Media Use During a Crisis: The Role of Health and Economic Risk Perceptions and Mental Health

An informed citizenry is crucial during public health crises, as staying informed about risks, measures, and recommendations prevents misperceptions that could jeopardize public health protective measures. While news media use varies across individuals and contexts, its dynamics during crises remain underexplored. We examine how perceptions of health and economic risks and individual mental health influenced media use during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria. Using longitudinal data from the Austrian Corona Panel Project, spanning seven waves between 2020 and 2023, we analyzed changes in news media consumption across newspapers and social media and whether media use feeds back into risk perceptions and mental health. Results revealed that economic and health risk perceptions along with mental health significantly predicted media choices, but they played different roles. Health risk perception drove traditional media use, while poorer mental health increased reliance on social media. Evidence also points to bidirectional relationships, especially between public broadcasting use and perceived health risk. This research highlights the importance of understanding nuanced media behaviors not only for current but also for future crises, emphasizing the need for targeted crisis communication strategies to disseminate high-quality news content to citizens.