Representative population survey on the importance and use of online platforms as a source of health information in Switzerland
Saskia De Gani (Careum),
Felix Gille (University of Zurich, Digital Society Initiative and Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care)
The digital transformation strongly influences how people nowadays seek, understand, critically reflect and use health information. Online platforms, such as search engines, but also social media channels, AI-based tools and chatbots as well as health apps have become central sources of health information. However, the vast amount of digital content and its varying quality pose major challenges to our population. Mis- and disinformation and commercially driven content can mislead users, erode trust in health systems and even cause harm and negative health outcomes. In this context, the population needs certain skills and competencies to deal with this challenge. On the other hand, there need to be systemic approaches to support the population in managing the complex health information ecosystem. The Swiss Health Literacy Survey 2019–2021 revealed that around 72 % of adults in Switzerland report low levels of digital health literacy, especially regarding their ability to judge the reliability and commercial intent of online health information. Yet, little is known about which digital platforms the public actually uses, how they use them and how much they trust them.
Thus, this project aims to generate first representative data on the use and trust of online platforms for health information among adults living in Switzerland. The study is part of a trinational initiative led by Bertelsmann Stiftung, Careum Stiftung and Gesundheit Österreich GmbH to inform the development of an international certification model that highlights trustworthy providers of digital health information.
Specifically, the study seeks to answer:
- What role do online platforms (including search engines, social media, and AI tools) play in informing health-related decisions?
- How trustworthy are these different digital sources perceived to be?
- Who does the public see as responsible for ensuring the quality of online health information?
A national online survey with a representative sample of around 2’000 adult residents of Switzerland is conducted. The applied questionnaire is based on the validated HL-DIGI instrument, adapted to explore trust and platform use. Data collection will be carried out by a professional survey institute. Statistical analyses will include descriptive and comparative approaches and cross-national comparisons with parallel studies in Germany and Austria.
The project will provide crucial evidence on how people in Switzerland navigate the digital information landscape when it comes to health. Its findings will contribute to developing data-informed recommendations to strengthen digital health literacy at population level, to combat mis- and disinformation, and supports international efforts to establish quality and trust standards for online health information.