Neuroticism and information seeking surrounding the 2014 U.S. Ebola outbreak: Evidence from Internet panel study and Internet search trend data

Abstract

In the context of 2014 U.S. Ebola virus outbreak, this paper conducted two studies to investigate whether neuroticism, one dimension of the Big Five personality traits, is associated with health information seeking behavior. Study 1 examined the relationship between neuroticism and use of diverse mediated channels to seek information on the Ebola virus. Study 2 used Google Trends Service to show that the strength of the association between neuroticism and Internet search activity was dependent upon levels of media attention to the Ebola virus. These findings contribute to a better understanding of personality-based predictors of health information seeking behavior in the face of a global public health crisis.