Distrust of mainstream media may fuel vaccine conspiracy beliefs

Phys · Aug 05, 2026 · 357 words · By Rissho University

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What to know about Distrust of mainstream media may fuel vaccine conspiracy beliefs

A study led by Professor Hitoshi Yamamoto of Rissho University examined the relationship between media skepticism and vaccine conspiracy beliefs in Japan from 2020 to 2024. The research distinguishes between institutional distrust and highly implausible claims, suggesting that persistent skepticism of mainstream media is more closely linked to the former.

Propaganda risk 0%

Claims checked 5

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Distrust of mainstream media may fuel vaccine conspiracy beliefs Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor A research team led by Professor Hitoshi Yamamoto of Rissho University analyzed five years of longitudinal panel survey data collected…

Why it matters

The study's results appear in Scientific Reports.

Common ground

Researchers analyzed annual survey data collected from the same participants over five consecutive years to examine how media use, media skepticism and subjective media literacy were related to later vaccine conspiracy beliefs.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Distrust of mainstream media may fuel vaccine conspiracy beliefs?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The study's results appear in Scientific Reports?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-08-distrust-mainstream-media-fuel-vaccine.html

analyticsAnalysis

Propaganda Score

confidence: 100%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 5 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

cancel Disputed 1

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Claim 1: “The study's results appear in Scientific Reports.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that studies by Hitoshi Yamamoto (and others) are published in Scientific Reports, specifically mentioning a 2024 publication.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Jōmon (Japanese: 縄文) were a prehistoric hunter-gatherer culture that inhabited the Japanese archipelago between approximately 14,000 BC and 300 BC, following which they were largely assimilated by…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jōmon_people

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chlorophyllide a reductase (EC 1.3.7.15), also known as COR, is an enzyme with systematic name bacteriochlorophyllide-a:ferredoxin 7,8-oxidoreductase. It catalyses the following chemical reaction Th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyllide_a_reductase

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — GcMAF (or Gc protein-derived macrophage activating factor) is a protein produced by modification of vitamin D-binding protein. It has been falsely promoted as a treatment for various medical condition…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GcMAF

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “Researchers analyzed annual survey data collected from the same participants over five consecutive years”

CORROBORATED

The evidence for claim 0 explicitly states that the research team 'surveyed the same panel annually from 2020 to 2024', which confirms the use of annual survey data from the same participants over five consecutive years.

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web search NEUTRAL — We use the given table to draw the double bar graph as per the question. (i)This bar graph shows the number of people who are watching and participating in their favorite sports.
https://www.cuemath.com/ncert-solutions/consider-this-data-c…

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web search NEUTRAL — This study follows participants over 30 years. D: a case-control study: Case-control studies compare individuals with a particular condition (cases) to individuals without the condition (controls). Th…
https://studyx.ai/questions/4ll0ow2/a-study-that-follows-the…

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web search NEUTRAL — The PLAY Study (formerly known as the Participation and Engagement Study), which has provided supplemental data through a partnership between the USTA and the National Golf Foundation (NGF) since 2021…
https://floridatennis.com/blogs/news/u-s-surges-to-25-7-mill…

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Claim 3: “Hitoshi Yamamoto et al, Longitudinal predictors of vaccine conspiracy beliefs: findings from a five-wave panel study in Japan, Scientific Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-57049-5”

DISPUTED

While the title and topic are corroborated by other evidence, the claim states the publication date is 2026. However, evidence for claim 1 shows Hitoshi Yamamoto published in Scientific Reports in 2024. A 2026 date is chronologically impossible for current real-time evidence unless it is a post-dated preprint or a typo, and the provided Wikipedia results for '2026' are unrelated to this paper.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article records new taxa of fossil mammals of every kind that are scheduled to be described during the year 2026, as well as other significant discoveries and events related to paleontology of ma…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_paleomammalogy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A digital object identifier (DOI) is a persistent identifier, or persistent handle, used to uniquely identify various objects, standardized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_object_identifier

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Scientific Reports is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific mega journal published by Nature Portfolio, covering all areas of the natural sciences. The journal was established in 2011. The journal st…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_Reports

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “The study is also notable because it examined conspiracy beliefs in Japan”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the study focused on vaccine conspiracy beliefs in Japan, specifically mentioning a five-wave panel study.

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web search NEUTRAL — A five-wave panel study in Japan found that institutional distrust, not media exposure, was associated with vaccine conspiracy beliefs over five years.
https://www.medicaldaily.com/vaccine-conspiracy-beliefs-inst…

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web search NEUTRAL — Longitudinal predictors of vaccine conspiracy beliefs: findings from a five-wave panel study in Japan.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1138867

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web search NEUTRAL — This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs using a survey of 28,175 residents of Japan aged 16–81 years old. Methods A cross-sectional self-administered …
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal…

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Claim 5: “A research team led by Professor Hitoshi Yamamoto of Rissho University analyzed five years of longitudinal panel survey data collected between 2020 and 2024”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results confirm that Professor Hitoshi Yamamoto of Rissho University led a study analyzing five annual waves of panel survey data collected in Japan from 2020 to 2024.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (東京外国語大学, Tōkyō Gaikokugo Daigaku), often referred to as TUFS, is a specialist national research university in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. TUFS is primarily devoted to for…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_University_of_Foreign_St…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Komazawa University (駒澤大学, Komazawa Daigaku), abbreviated as 駒大 Komadai, is a private university in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan. Its history starts in 1592, when a seminary was established to be a center o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komazawa_University

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web search NEUTRAL — Hitoshi Yamamoto. Professor, Rissho University.We surveyed the same panel annually from 2020 to 2024. Of the original 2,000 participants, 600 participated in the fifth wave in 2024. This gave us an op…
https://communities.springernature.com/posts/from-cooperatio…

+ 2 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.